The Hunt for Babylon
by cheeky-chaos
Summary: Notorious terrorist Arvin Sloane is trying to get his hands on an alien artefact, so superspy Sydney Bristow must join forces with the infamous SG1 to stop him. But what happens when the famous Tomb Raider, Lara Croft, get's there first?
1. Visiting the SGC

Author's Note: Okay, this is a weird one. It came to me late one night, but it seems to be coming along rather well, so I'm going to see how it goes.

Crossover: Stargate: SG-1/Alias/Tomb Raider

Timeline: Around season 6 for Stargate, beginning of season 3 for Alias and post-COL for Tomb Raider.

Spoilers: It contains spoilers for the end of Cradle of Life, but not really anything else.

Enjoy!

Cheeky.

**The Hunt for Babylon:**

**By cheekychaos**

Chapter One:

Sydney Bristow strode confidently towards the elevator, trying to ignore the nervous fluttering of her stomach. She kept her face impassive until the doors of the elevator shut, putting a barrier between her and the openly curious security guards behind her. She sighed and glanced at the man beside her. Michael Vaughn looked as nervous as she felt.

_Not that anyone could blame them_, Sydney thought. They were descending deeper into the United States Air Force controlled Cheyenne Mountain Complex – which was currently being used for something extremely classified. And Sydney had learnt over the years that the words "highly classified" and "military" always meant trouble.

"How do you think they'll take it?" Vaughn asked after a moment.

"I have no idea." Sydney replied. "But I guess they'll probably deny the possibility of a leak and try and cover it up."

Vaughn frowned slightly as Sydney's words confirmed his own opinion. "That's what I thought." He muttered.

At that moment, the elevator doors slid open and Sydney was forced to keep the rest of her thoughts to herself. She smiled at the airman who was obviously waiting for them outside the elevator. "Agents Bristow and Vaughn?" he asked.

"Yes, that's us." Sydney said. "We're here to see General Hammond."

"Yes, ma'am." The airman said. "If you'll please follow me."

Sydney nodded and she and Vaughn followed the airman down a bustling corridor. The paint was the dull green Sydney had long since associated with military bases and the floors were bare concrete. _No expense spared here_, she thought to herself.

She looked about curiously as they walked, trying to take in as many details of the base as she could. All the personnel on the base seemed to be wearing an Air Force uniform of either green or blue – whether they were military personnel or not. They all also seemed to have the same curious patch on their sleeves that looked similar to an "A" with a circle above it.

Sydney, as did Vaughn, knew the basics about the facility from both the files Director Dixon had given her to read and what she had heard from the leaked information. But still, she couldn't help wondering, just what exactly was going on here?

The airman led Sydney and Vaughn along several corridors until they reached a large door with the name "General G. Hammond" on it. The airman knocked tentatively on the door.

"Enter." Came the slightly muffled reply.

The airman opened the door and politely held it open for Sydney and Vaughn. "Agents Bristow and Vaughn are here, sir." The airman said.

"Ah, come in." the General said, rising to stand behind his desk. "I'm grateful that you came all this way."

"Thank you for seeing us." Sydney replied.

Hammond nodded. He was a bald, slightly plump man with kind and intelligent eyes. Sydney found herself liking him on the spot, even as she hoped he keep an open mind about what she was about to tell him.

The office behind him was typical of a military base. A somewhat battered looking desk took up most of the space, and there was an American flag in the corner. Sydney noticed with interest that pictures of various fighter jets and planes dotted the walls, bringing a touch of humanity to the sparse room.

"That will be all, airman." Hammond said and Sydney heard the door shut a second later.

Hammond then gestured to another door, set in the right wall of the office. "Please make yourselves comfortable." Hammond said, holding the door open to reveal what looked like a briefing room. "SG-1 will be with us shortly."

"SG-1?" Sydney heard Vaughn ask from behind her as she walked forward. "This would probably be better discussed alone."

"I trust SG-1." Hammond said, his tone betraying how strongly he believed that. "And, besides, the leader of SG-1 is my 2IC."

Vaughn would have said more, but at that moment he caught sight of the room beyond the windows that stretched along the wall of the briefing room. Like Sydney, he stared in awe at the large room below in amazement. The briefing room looked out onto a large concrete room containing a giant ring made of some sort of metal alloy. A metal ramp led down from the ring and Sydney noticed a few soldiers standing guard at the metal door.

"Is that the…" Sydney searched for the right word, "…stargate?"

"Yes, it is." Hammond replied, amused at the surprise and awe on the agent's faces. The stargate was definitely an awesome sight the first time you saw it.

"And you travel through that thing?" Vaughn asked. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"No." Hammond replied. "Wormhole travel is surprisingly safe, all things considered."

"What about what you find on the other side?" Sydney asked curiously.

Hammond smiled. "What we do here is no more dangerous than any other form of exploration."

Suddenly the quiet of the base was broken by a klaxon and an electronic voice. "Unauthorised off-world activation."

Sydney watched in amazement as the metal ring lit up and what looked like a rush of water poured out of the centre, before being sucked backwards again. Whatever it was settled back into a shimmering surface, rather like a vertical pool of water. She shot a glance at Vaughn and saw that he was as curious and nervous about the stargate as she was.

At the sound of the alarm, General Hammond had walked to yet another door and into the room beyond. "Close the iris!" he barked the order as he walked through.

"Yes, sir." The man sitting behind a computer screen said.

Sydney followed the General into what looked like the control room of the operation. As she watched through the large windows, a metal surface slid in front of the stargate, blocking anything from coming through. "What's going on?" she asked as she walked up.

"Hopefully nothing serious." Hammond answered, before turning back to the technician. "How many teams currently off-world?"

"Just three, sir."

Hammond frowned and stared intently at the stargate. A second later the technician's voice broke through the tense silence. "Receiving a GDO, sir." He said. "It's SG-4."

"Open the iris." Hammond ordered.

The iris opened and four men appeared suddenly at the top of the ramp, simply having stepped out of the pool inside the ring. Sydney shook her head in amazement. This was weird, even considering all the things she'd seen over the last couple of years. One of the men was leaning heavily on another and was limping.

Sydney stayed where she was, watching silently, as General Hammond leaned forward and pressed a button on the console. "Major Hayes, what happened?" he asked.

One of the men looked up at the control room as he walked of the ramp and the pool of water suddenly disappeared with a sucking sound. "Lieutenant Michaels fell and hurt his ankle, sir." Major Hayes replied. "I think it might be broken."

Hammond picked up a phone from the wall. "Doctor Frasier to the Gate Room." He said into it, before turning back to the window and Major Hayes. "Get checked out Major. Briefing at 1300."

"Yes, sir." Major Hayes replied.

General Hammond turned back to his two guests. "Sorry about the interruption." He said, before gesturing to the briefing room. "Shall we?"

"Of course." Sydney smiled, still trying to absorb all she had just seen.

A few minutes later, Sydney and Vaughn were comfortably seated at the large table in the middle of the room. They both sat to the right of the General, who had taken a seat at the head of the table. As Sydney watched, a large dark skinned man entered the room, followed by a silver haired man. Both wore the same uniform as the rest of the personnel, but Sydney noticed a strange gold mark on the dark skinned man's forehead.

"…is the point, T." the silver haired man was saying as the pair entered. "You just can't do it any other way."

"I do not see the appeal, O'Neill." The dark skinned man answered levelly.

The other man sighed and shook his head, muttering something under his breath. The dark skinned man raised an eyebrow but said nothing further.

"May I introduce Colonel Jack O'Neill and Teal'c?" General Hammond said, motioning towards the two men. "Colonel, Teal'c, this is Agent Sydney Bristow and Agent Michael Vaughn of the CIA."

The Colonel nodded his greeting, before sitting down opposite Sydney. She couldn't help but stare at him curiously. He had the same bearing that Sydney had come to expect from the military, but there was definite intelligence in his dark brown eyes. Teal'c sat down next to him, his face impassive and his heavily muscled arms carefully placed on the table in front of him.

"Where's Major Carter?" the General asked.

Jack grinned. "You know her, sir." He said. "She's playing with her alien doohickies."

Hammond nodded, just as a tall blonde haired woman rushed into the room clutching some files. "Sorry I'm late, sir." She said blushing faintly.

She slipped into the empty seat beside Teal'c and looked towards the General expectantly. "Just couldn't tear yourself away from your toys, hey Carter?" Jack teased.

"No, sir." Carter said, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

Sydney guessed that the friendly teasing was a usual occurrence between the team. They all seemed fairly relaxed around each other and she tried to swallow her apprehension at sharing her information with them.

"Major Carter, this is Agent Sydney Bristow and Agent Michael Vaughn of the CIA." Hammond introduced again. "And this is Major Samantha Carter."

"Hi." Sydney smiled her greeting, before turning back to the General.

Hammond nodded slightly, and Sydney got up. _Here goes_, she thought. "Allow me to get straight to the point." She began. "The CIA has recently come into possession of a copy of a document that mentions a device called a 'stargate' and several other pieces of technology, all of which it claims was made by aliens."

Jack had been watching the two CIA agents curiously since he had entered the room, noticing that the pretty brunette seemed to be the one in charge. Both agents were dressed in the plain and functional business suits he had come to expect from the CIA – and which Jack had always believed was their version of a uniform. But at Agent Bristow's sceptical tone and surprising words, he looked towards the General sharply.

The General seemed to have the same thought that Jack had. "A copy?" he asked.

"Yes." Sydney answered. "We intercepted a transmission between operatives of an enemy organisation that contained this information."

"So we have no way of knowing just how many people have seen this information?" Jack asked, before Sydney could continue.

"No, although I doubt anyone but the higher ranking operatives have seen the document." Sydney replied.

She shot a glance at her partner before continuing. "This document also outlines the basics of a military operation to travel through this 'stargate' to other planets within our galaxy."

Sydney walked over to the wall and switched off the lights before returning to stand before the blank projector screen. As everyone watched, she switched it on and a photograph appeared on the screen. The photo had obviously been taken from a surveillance camera, as the grey haired man was sitting in an outside restaurant, but Jack could still see the cold intelligence in the man's eyes.

"This is Arvin Sloane. He is a former CIA agent that has ties to the Alliance and several other terrorist organisations. He is extremely resourceful and dangerous." Sydney said. "We believe he is the man these documents were sent to."

"As far as we know," Agent Vaughn stood up and took over the briefing from Sydney. "Sloane is putting together a team of highly skilled operatives and is planning to act on this information."

"Do you know the identity of these operatives?" General Hammond asked.

"We believe so, yes." Vaughn answered. "According to our sources, Sloane has recruited three highly skilled operatives to his cause – all of whom the CIA have been after for years."

He shot a glance as Sydney, as she sat down, before changing the photo on the projector screen. The woman in the photo was stunningly beautiful, with long dark hair and golden brown skin. She wore jeans and was talking into a phone as she walked down a busy street.

"This is Anna Espinosa." Vaughn continued, gesturing at the photo on the screen behind him. "Born in Cuba and raised in Russia – by the KGB. She used to work for an organisation called K-Directorate, but now works as a freelance agent. She also has the Rambaldi symbol tattooed on her left hand."

The picture changed again, this time focusing on what Jack assumed was the Rambaldi tattoo. The tattoo appeared to be a circle bracketed by two triangles pointing away from it. Jack frowned and shot a look at Sam. That symbol looked familiar. And judging by the puzzled look on Sam's face, he wasn't the only one who thought so.

"Is anything wrong, Colonel?" Hammond asked.

"I think I've seen that symbol somewhere before, sir." Jack said. "I just can't remember where."

"Indeed." Teal'c agreed. "The symbol does appear familiar."

"Major Carter?" Hammond asked.

"I've seen it too, sir." She said. "But I can't remember where either."

Sydney and Vaughn shared a surprised and slightly nervous glance. Then Vaughn returned to his briefing. "We believe Sloane has also recruited Julian Sark." He continued. "Sark is the son of Russian diplomat Adrian Lazarey and is believed to be the sole heir to the Romanov fortune. He is also highly-skilled assassin and has worked for Sloane before."

This time the photo was of a handsome blonde haired man wearing a black suit and shirt. The photo appeared to have been taken as Mr. Sark was climbing into a black BMW.

"The final operative is a relative unknown." Vaughn said. "Terry Sheridan is a former British Royal Marine turned mercenary. Around four years ago he was rumoured to have been sent to the infamous Barla Karla Prison. He reappeared six months ago."

The final picture was of a dark haired man wearing sunglasses and a leather jacket. His hair was cropped close to his head and he was riding a motorbike.

"Arvin Sloane is also a follower of a 15th century Italian prophet by the name of Milo Rambaldi." Sydney said, taking over the briefing once again. "We believe that Sloane is after the documents because they make reference to a Milus Rambaldus."

General Hammond leafed through the folder in front of him until he came to a copy of the leaked documents. When he saw what they were he raised both eyebrows in surprise. "How the hell did SG-3's mission reports on P4X-239 get leaked?" he snapped. "I can't believe any of my people would do that!"

Sydney sighed at the General's words. She had hoped he would keep an open mind about this. "With all due respect, General," she said. "Someone with access leaked those documents."

"What about the NID, sir?" Sam suggested. "They have access to our mission reports."

"And it has happened before." Jack added.

Hammond frowned. "The NID is really beginning to annoy me, Colonel." He said. "It seems every time we turn around they're up to something new."

"Me too, sir." Jack replied. "Me too."

"How can you be so sure the NID is responsible?" Sydney asked, trying to suppress her annoyance.

"When are they not?" Jack asked. "You don't know much about the NID, do you?"

"I know the NID is the organisation responsible for the long term analysis of technology and information gained by the Stargate Programme." Sydney said. "And the analysis of the programme itself."

General Hammond sighed. "That's what they're supposed to do, yes." He said. "However, there's a rogue element within the NID who want to gain control of the stargate for the sole purpose of procuring technology to protect Earth – no matter what."

"Protect Earth from what?" Vaughn asked.

"Anything and everything." The General replied. "They look upon all alien civilisations as the enemy."

Sydney nodded, struggling to process the information despite her scepticism that this was all possible. "Do you have any idea what Mr. Sloane intends to do with this information?" Sam asked her.

"No." Sydney replied. "Which is why we came to you. Is there any way Sloane could gain access to this base?"

General Hammond shook his head. "Not unless he has friends in very high places or a lot more than three men."

"So what is he trying to do?" Jack asked, more to himself than anyone else in the room.

"I don't know." Sydney sighed. "All I do know is that where Rambaldi is concerned, Arvin Sloane is capable of anything."

To be continued…


	2. Where's Daniel?

**The Hunt for Babylon:**

**By cheekychaos**

Chapter Two:

"…was destroyed by an earthquake, according to Plato's dialogues _Timaeus_ and _Critias_."

Dr. Daniel Jackson sat in rapt attention as he listened to the beautiful brunette currently looking intently at her audience. Her intelligent brown gaze seemed to peer into all the corners of the room, making people sit up and listen.

Daniel was sitting at the back of a small lecture theatre at the University of Washington, listening to a lecture by the world-renowned archaeologist and adventurer, Lady Lara Croft. The subject was the myth of Atlantis and was actually rather accurate, all things considered.

"Now, contrary to popular belief," Lady Croft's English-accented voice echoed over the room. "The myth of Atlantis actually stems from Ancient Egypt. The Greek's merely changed the location."

Daniel couldn't help but smile as Lady Croft turned and began drawing on the chalk board. She had an enthusiasm for history and discovering the past that was catching – and she was probably the only archaeologist Daniel knew of who could conduct a lecture in jeans and a leather jacket and still be taken seriously.

"These symbols," Lady Croft continued, gesturing at the board behind her, "Have shown up at many of the sites around the world that also mention a lost city. Many believe that they are merely the spreading of myths and tales throughout the world. However…"

Lady Croft flashed the audience an amused and challenging smile. "…I will leave you with the thought that perhaps these symbols are not random, but are, in fact, a map to the Lost City of Atlantis itself."

Her final remarks were met with a few sceptical laughs and the occasional curious stare. "Ah," Lady Croft said with a knowing smile. "Some of you don't believe me. Perhaps, then, I shall just have to go out and find the Lost City myself."

This time the audience erupted into amused laughter and knowing grins. Everyone knew that if anyone could find the mythical city of Atlantis it would be Lady Lara Croft. She seemed to have the knack of finding the things that most archaeologists didn't believe existed: the Dagger of Xian, the Philosopher's Stone, the Triangle of Light…

There was a round of applause after that, to which Lady Croft inclined her head in acknowledgement and gratitude, before everyone began filing out of the small lecture hall. Daniel stayed where he was sitting, not wanting to face some of the familiar faces he had seen in the crowd and have his theories about the pyramids thrown in his face yet again. It never failed to surprise him just how narrow minded and petty academics could be sometimes. And he couldn't deny that is was frustrating to know his theories were right and not be able to tell anyone.

"Did you enjoy the lecture?"

Daniel looked up, startled to find he was the only member of the audience left and that Lady Croft stood only a few steps away, an eyebrow arched in curiosity. "Oh." He said. "Yes. Your theories on the Lost City of Atlantis are quite intriguing."

"That's a polite way of putting it." Lady Croft replied.

"No, really." Daniel said. "You could say I have an appreciation for the unusual."

Lady Croft smiled in amusement. "Ah, of course. The pyramids." She said. "Dr. Daniel Jackson, isn't it?"

"Yes." Daniel agreed cautiously. "How did you know my name?"

"I remember your photograph from the paper." Lady Croft explained. "I always meant to attend one of your lectures, but I was unfortunately detained at the time."

"You were interested in my theories?" Daniel asked, surprised.

Lady Croft nodded. "After some of the things I've seen in my life, Dr. Jackson, aliens using the pyramids as landing platforms are hardly what I'd call surprising."

"Wow." Daniel said. "That's the first time anyone's said that to me before. And please, call me Daniel."

"Only if you'll call me Lara." Lara said. Then she looked at Daniel consideringly. "I don't suppose you have time for a coffee, do you? I'd love to hear more about these theories of yours."

Daniel knew he would have to be careful about how much information he revealed, but it had been a long time since he'd had an intelligent conversation with another archaeologist who didn't think he was either crazy or walked on water, as the SGC personnel sometimes did. "Sure. I'd love to." He said with a smile.

"Lovely." Lara said with a smile of her own.

Two hours later, Daniel and Lara were tucked away in the corner of a nearby coffee shop and onto their second cups of coffee. Their conversation, although it could have been termed a debate at times, had ranged over many subjects, including Daniel's theories, Lara's recent exploits and the current lack of open-mindedness within mainstream archaeology.

Lara sat back, her brown eyes gleaming with warmth and humour as she sipped her coffee and looked at Daniel over the rim. "I must admit," Lara said as she put down her mug. "It's been a while since I've had such an interesting conversation."

Daniel nodded his agreement. "Me too." He said with a grin.

Unfortunately, before Daniel could add anything else, his cell phone rang. "Sorry." He murmured to Lara. Lara merely gave him an amused smile and took another sip of her coffee.

"Dr. Jackson." Daniel answered.

"Hey Danny." Jack's familiar voice drawled. "We've got a bit of a problem over here. The General wants you back as soon as possible – which means your flight leaves in 45 minutes."

Daniel sighed. "Figures. Thanks Jack." He said.

"No problem. I'll pick you up at the airport, okay?"

"Sure." Daniel replied.

"Got to go." Jack said just before he hung up.

Daniel grimaced as he hung up his end of the line and looked apologetically at Lara. "Work." He explained. "Apparently I have forty-five minutes before my plane leaves, so this seems to be where I say goodbye."

Lara nodded. "Did you come by taxi?" she asked.

"Yeah." Daniel answered, then looked at curiously at Lara when she smiled.

"Come on then." She said. "I'll give you a lift."

"Thanks." Daniel said as they both got up to leave.

"Not a problem." Lara replied. "Besides, it will give us a chance to finish our discussion."

Daniel smiled, thoroughly intrigued by the woman in front of him. She wasn't what he had expected at all, and he found himself liking that even better. Although he had to laugh when he saw her car.

"I have a passion for fast cars." Lara said as she opened the door of the silver Aston Martin.

"You know, I'm not actually surprised by that at all." Daniel said.

Lara just laughed.

Daniel was still in a good mood five hours later when he got off the plane in Colorado Springs. Grabbing what little luggage he had, he went to meet Jack in the airport lounge.

"Hey Jack." He greeted.

Jack raised a curious eyebrow when he saw Daniel. "Hi, Daniel." He said, putting down his newspaper. "Enjoy your trip?"

Jack was dressed similarly to Daniel in jeans, boots and a sweater, along with his trademark leather jackets and sunglasses.

"Yeah, I did actually." He replied.

Jack grinned. "So, do I get to ask what's put you in such a good mood? I haven't heard a grumble about being called back early or the aeroplane food yet."

"Just an interesting conversation with an intriguing woman." Daniel replied.

"Oh, yeah?"

"It was purely academic, Jack, so you can stop giving me that look."

Jack just smirked knowingly in that way of his.

When they were safely seated in Jack's truck, heading back to Cheyenne Mountain, Daniel finally gave voice to the curiosity he'd had since Jack's call. "So what's up?" he asked.

"Well, we received a pair of interesting visitors this morning." Jack said. "It seems we've got a problem with some leaked mission reports that the CIA have managed to get their hands on."

"Wait, two CIA agents came to the SGC?" Daniel asked.

"Yep." Jack answered. "Apparently, those classified documents were up for auction to the highest bidder."

"Oh, boy."

"Exactly."

"So do we know what was in those reports?" Daniel questioned after a moment.

"They were SG-3's mission reports on P4X-239." Jack replied. "The agents seemed particularly concerned about the mention of someone called Milus Rambuldus. They believe the name is somehow connected to some Italian nut called Milo something."

"Milo Rambaldi?" Daniel asked, somewhat surprised. "The 15th century prophet?"

Jack shot him a sideways glance. "You know him?"

"I came across a mention of him in a text a few years ago." At Jack's curious look, Daniel added. "On Earth, not out there."

"Oh." Jack said. "Then he seemed to think of something. "Daniel, have you ever seen a symbol that looks like a circle bracketed by two triangles?"

"Sure." Daniel said. "There was a symbol like that on the ruins on P4X-239. I had the photos all over my lab for about a week. I remember, because you, Sam and Teal'c all commented on it."

"I knew I'd seen that symbol somewhere before." Jack muttered.

By the time Daniel and Jack were walking down the familiar corridors of the SGC, dressed once again in their usual uniforms, Daniel knew everything everyone else did. "Hey Daniel." Sam greeted as the pair walked into the debriefing room.

"Hi, Sam." Daniel said. "Teal'c."

"Dr. Jackson." Teal'c returned.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your trip, Dr. Jackson." General Hammond said as Daniel sat down next to Sam and Jack took his usual seat on Hammond's right.

"No problem General." Daniel said.

At that moment, a pretty brunette and a serious looking man entered the room. Both were dressed in black business suits. "General." The woman greeted with a faint smile.

"Dr. Jackson, may I introduce Agents Vaughn and Bristow from the CIA?" Hammond said.

Daniel found himself being appraised by two sets of eyes – one a curious brown, the other a faintly hostile green. "Pleased to meet you." Daniel said mildly.

"Likewise." Sydney replied.

"Any news?" Hammond asked the two CIA agents.

Once again, it was Sydney who spoke. "We've just received information regarding the location of another Rambaldi artefact. Although, we believe this artefact is different from all the others."

"How so?" Sam asked.

"We believe it makes reference to a larger artefact hidden in another world." Sydney said. "Which we can now assume is P4X-239."

"Great." Jack muttered.

"Is there any chance Arvin Sloane would have access to the same intel?" Hammond asked, ignoring his 2IC's sarcastic comment.

"Definitely." This time it was Vaughn who answered.

Hammond sighed. "How long have we got?" he asked.

"A couple of hours, maybe a day." Vaughn replied.

"Can I ask where this artefact is located, Agent Bristow?" Daniel asked.

"Call me Sydney." Sydney said. "And we believe it's located somewhere in the South American jungle."

"Alright then, I want everyone ready to move as soon as we know the exact location. Colonel, I want you and Dr. Jackson to accompany Agent Bristow to South America." General Hammond ordered. "Major Carter, I want you and Teal'c to go through all the leaked information with Agent Vaughn. I want to know exactly what Arvin Sloane knows about the Stargate Programme."

To be continued…


	3. South America

**The Hunt for Babylon:**

**By cheekychaos**

Chapter Three:

Daniel looked out the Jeep's window at the moist green jungle outside. He, Jack and Sydney were currently driving through the Amazon Rainforest in western Brazil. Due to the sticky heat, Jack had the air conditioning up full blast, but it only seemed to take to edge off the oppressive humidity. But Daniel didn't mind – it wasn't the first time he had visited the South American jungle.

"Do we know how much further it is to the temple?" Daniel asked.

"About another five miles." Sydney said from the backseat, where she was consulting the map.

"Oh, that's just peachy." Jack growled as the rather battered Jeep lurched to the right. "This road is full of pot holes the size of the Grand Canyon!"

Daniel hid a smile at his friend's complaint. Jack had actually been rather well behaved so far this trip, with only the occasional moan about the heat or the road – which probably explained why Daniel was still in such good spirits.

Luckily, it didn't take long for them to reach the turnoff to the temple, where they were going to leave their car. Both Jack and Sydney had agreed that it would be best to hike the last mile or so on foot, so as not to alert anyone who may already been inside the temple.

Daniel had fondly remembered his last dig in South America and had dressed in a similar outfit as a result. He wore a pair of sturdy boots, just like Sydney and Jack, a pair of faded jeans, a white singlet under a loose, short-sleeved pale blue shirt and a bright red bandana. Jack wore a black T-shirt over cargo pants, along with his ever present ball cap and sunglasses. Sydney also wore cargos, over which was a khaki shirt with the sleeves hacked off. She had tied her hair back into a ponytail and she too wore sunglasses.

Slipping on his own pair, and grateful he had worn his contacts, Daniel shouldered his light pack, before turning to his companions. "Let's go." He said.

"After you." Jack said, gesturing for Daniel to start walking.

Daniel gave Jack a wry smile, but stepped forward, heading down the trail leading to the temple ruins. He heard Jack and Sydney follow a second later.

Twenty minutes later, Daniel was hot, bothered and sweaty and had remembered all the downsides to trekking through a tropical jungle – the heat and the bugs. On the upside, they were in sight of the temple. So far it looked deserted, but both Jack and Sydney were wary, their hands not far from their concealed guns.

"Let's keep this as quiet as possible." Jack said, coming up to where Daniel and Sydney were hidden behind some undergrowth. "I haven't seen any signs of anyone else, but let's not take any chances, okay?"

"Sure, Jack." Daniel said. "So where exactly is this artefact?"

The question was directed at Sydney, who answered quietly. "I'm not exactly sure. All I know is that it's supposed to be a key to reading the map to this other world."

Jack frowned, but before he could say anything, Daniel sent him a warning glance, before asking, "Do we have any idea what it looks like?"

"The only description we've come across," Sydney replied, "is that of 'a large crystal'."

"Well, that should be easy enough to find." Daniel said optimistically. "There's got to be some sort of clue."

"We're not going to find it out here, though." Jack said. "Come on, let's find it and get out of here."

The temple was still largely standing, despite the massive tree roots and undergrowth that had tried to take it over. The sand coloured stone held intricate carvings that were still visible, although covered in grime. The structure was tall and broad, almost like an Assyrian Pyramid in shape. It was quite beautiful, jutting out from the deep greens of the jungle.

"This is a whole lot older than the 15th Century." Daniel muttered. "Has Rambaldi ever done anything like this before?" he asked Sydney.

"Not that I know of." She replied frowning. "It's not usually the way he hides his secrets."

"What if it's not his secret?" Jack asked. "What if he stole the secret from someone else?"

Both Sydney and Daniel turned to Jack in surprise. "That's it!" Sydney grinned. "It explains everything!"

Daniel looked at Jack curiously. "How did you realise that?" he asked.

Jack shrugged. "It's what the bad guys always do." He said.

The inside of the temple was dark and covered with roots and leaf litter. It was also cooler than outside, which was a great relief, and the heavy scent of rotting vegetation wasn't so strong either.

The trio picked their way through the temple, with Daniel taking great interest in the carvings on the wall. After about ten minutes, they reached a wide room less disturbed than all the others. It was also brighter due to the sun streaming in through a hole in the roof. Jack looked around and raised his eyebrows in surprise at what he saw.

The paved floor ended about halfway across the room and beyond that Jack caught the gleam of a metal spike ringed chasm. Against the far wall was a jutting ledge of rock in front of an ornately carved doorway.

"I guess we found out where we need to go." Daniel said.

"But how do we get it?" Sydney asked, motioning towards the large gaps on either side of the jutting ledge.

"I'm not sure." Daniel said.

"Well, don't look at me." Jack said. "You're the archaeologist."

Daniel just rolled his eyes and went to take another look at the inscription he had spotted on the wall. He dragged a torch from the small pack he carried and shone it at the wall, surprised at what he saw. The text was similar to Assyrian, with a clear Mayan influence. Both civilisations were far removed from 15th Century Italy – and each other.

"Here lies the doorway to the heavens, beyond which you will find the Tear of the Stars." Daniel translated. "Gifted to us, the Guardians, it shows the true path to the world beyond the sky, where all men are equal."

"But beware," he continued. "For all those who seek its power will be turned to dust before even glimpsing the luminous beauty of the Tear."

"Not exactly a step-by-step guide, is it?" Jack asked sarcastically.

"Do I need to mention the turned to dust bit?" Sydney added. "How the hell are we going to do this?"

"There has to be a way." Daniel said.

At that moment, there came the sound of movement from behind them. Jack and Sydney automatically went for their guns, even as Daniel switched off his torch. "Dammit!" Jack hissed. "There's nowhere to hide!"

"It wouldn't matter anyway." Sydney said, as she recognised the voice snapping out orders in Russian. "That's Anna Espinosa."

"How do you know?" Jack asked, warily watching the room's entrance.

"I'd recognise her voice anywhere." Sydney replied. "We've met frequently in the past."

It was then that a beautiful, dark haired woman entered, followed by five men dressed in SWAT black. She snapped out an order, waving her gun in the direction of the shadows where Jack, Sydney and Daniel were trying to hide.

"You can come out, whoever you are." Anna said in English. "We will find you."

Jack nodded to Sydney and they both hid their guns again. Then he motioned for Daniel to go first. All three of them stepped out into the light, keeping their arms outstretched in the universal sign of 'please don't shoot me!'. Sydney tried to hang back and keep her face hidden so Anna wouldn't recognise her.

As soon as they appeared, six guns were trained on them. "Who are you?" Anna asked.

"My name is Dr. Daniel Jackson." Daniel said, not needing to fake his nervousness with all those guns pointed at him. "I'm an archaeologist."

"What are you doing here?" Anna demanded.

"I was hoping to study the origins of the temple." Daniel said. "I believe it could have been built by a Mayan subculture."

"Bring them here." Anna snapped to three of the armed men.

The men grabbed the trio roughly and shoved them towards where Anna was standing and Daniel stumbled slightly on the uneven stones. Anna's eyes widened a little when she saw Sydney. "Sydney?" she said. "Well, isn't this a surprise."

"Anna." Sydney replied coldly.

"Once again we are both after the same thing." Anna said, a gleam of amusement in her eyes. "But tell me, what are you going to do this time? You're clearly outnumbered."

"That's never stopped me before." Sydney shot back.

Before anything else could be said, however, there was a loud grinding sound that began to echo around the room. Everyone watched in amazement as a faint light appeared beyond the ornate doorway on the other side of the chasm.

Suddenly a woman dressed in shorts and a singlet shot out, a large ball of jagged blades hard on her heels. As everyone watched in surprise, the woman leapt over the chasm. She landed heavily on the paved stones at the edge, the impact driving some of the breath from her lungs. But in one fluid movement, she rolled and surged to her feet once more.

"Lara?" Daniel's amazed whisper seemed loud in the silence.

Lara winked at Daniel, before she took off in a sprint towards the dark side of the room. Anna and her goons opened fire as soon as they saw what Lara was trying to do, but she was too fast and nimbly dodged the bullets before disappearing into the shadows.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Jack and Sydney grabbed Daniel and sprinted in the opposite direction, towards a low outcropping of rock on the ground. Anna swore and spun when she saw them, but it was too late – Jack, Sydney and Daniel had already slid behind the rock pile. Almost immediately, Jack and Sydney began firing back.

Slumped down, with Jack on one side and Sydney on the other, Daniel looked around for a way out. He noticed in surprise the crevice that ran along the wall in front of him and wondered if it would lead to a way out. He was even more surprised, however, when Lara stuck her head over the edge. "Daniel!" she said softly. "Come on!"

Daniel blinked, before nudging Jack and nodding towards Lara. Jack looked surprised for a second, but nodded back. Lara's head disappeared, then as he motioned for Daniel to go first, Jack tried to get Sydney's attention long enough to share the plan.

There was a close volley of gunfire at that moment that had Daniel sinking further back against the scant cover of the rock pile. As soon as there was a pause, no doubt for the goon to reload, Daniel scurried to the crevice and sank cautiously into it, mindful of anything sharp waiting for him at the bottom. Thankfully there was nothing but dirt and rock.

"I was beginning to think you weren't coming." Lara whispered, stepping up beside him.

"And miss out on one of your Great Escapes?" Daniel whispered back with a smile. "Never."

Lara grinned, before glancing behind Daniel as Sydney slipped into the crevice. "We'd better go." She whispered. "Follow the crevice. I'll catch up with you after your friend gets here."

At that moment there was a loud explosion above them and Jack slipped into the crevice. "No need to wait." He said softly. "I'm here."

Lara nodded and took off at a run. Daniel, Jack and Sydney followed a second later. Daniel concentrated his attention on Lara's back as seeing the ground was hard in the dim light. She seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to dodging the twists and turns of the crevice.

A stucco burst of gunfire signalled that Anna and her goons had found that they had gone and it was only a matter of seconds before they began to pursue them down the crevice. A crevice that suddenly became a tunnel. Without pausing, Lara ran into the darkness. Daniel, Jack and Sydney followed, hoping Lara knew what she was doing.

They caught up to Lara a minute later, where she had paused as the tunnel split into two paths. There was a faint light coming from the one on the left, which made it slightly easier to see. Noticing Jack's attention on the left tunnel, Lara spoke softly. "It's a glow stick. I left it there earlier, hoping to distract any pursuers."

"So I take it, we're going right?" Jack asked dryly.

Lara nodded. "Be careful." She said. "There are a few sharp turns."

Then she disappeared into the darkness once again. The group jogged carefully through the tunnel, slower than before, until they were far enough away form where it divided. A glare stick flared to life in Lara's hand. "Not long now." she said cheerfully.

True to her word, five minutes later the group burst out into the steamy jungle, the scent of wet, rotting vegetation and the sounds of the many inhabiting animals assaulting them after the relative musty and quiet tunnel.

Lara grinned as she turned around. "So, Daniel." she said. "Here on vacation?"

Jack shot Daniel a warning glance and he glared reproachfully back. "Something like that." Daniel answered, turning to Lara.

Before anything else could be said, a burst of gunfire sounded from just beyond the tunnel's exit. It seemed as if Anna and her goons had caught up. Lara reacted instantly and darted off through the jungle, heading for her hidden jeep.

Daniel went to follow her, pretty sure she had the Tear that they were all after, but Jack yanked him back in the opposite direction. "Come on!" he snapped. "We can find your girlfriend later!"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Daniel snapped back, as he began to run.

Another burst of gunfire sounded as Anna and her goons ran out of the tunnel, followed by a series of sharp orders. They took off after Jack, Sydney and Daniel. Jack noticed they weren't far from their 4WD and headed towards it, thinking it would be their best chance of escape.

The moment it was in sight, Jack dived for the driver's seat even as Daniel scrambled into the back. The second Sydney slid into the passenger seat, Jack gunned the engine and rocketed off down the road. Rolling down her window, Sydney fired her gun towards their pursuers until her clip was empty.

"Are they following?" Jack asked her.

"No." she replied shortly.

Then she shot a glare, via the rear-view mirror, at Daniel, who was just getting his nerves back in control. "Who the hell was that woman?" she demanded.

"Her name is Lady Lara Croft." Daniel explained. "She's another archaeologist."

"And how do you know her?" Sydney questioned, her tone a little milder this time. "More importantly, what is she going to do with the artefact? Sell it?"

"Lara was the speaker at the lecture I attended a few days ago in Washington." Daniel answered. "And, no, she won't sell it. Lara will probably donate it to a museum – once she's got whatever she needs it for."

"That's what I was afraid of." Sydney said with a sigh.

"You and me both." Jack agreed.

To be continued…


	4. The Second Tomb

**The Hunt for Babylon:**

**By cheekychaos**

Chapter Four:

Lara took a deep breath of the cold Tibetan air as she gazed out over the mountains. The Himalayas were spectacular – as Lara had seen before in the past, too. It was a little over fifteen hours since the events in South America and Lara was adapting better than she had thought she would to the sudden temperature change.

Thankfully, she was also dressed warmly in boots, camouflage pants, a black T-shirt and her fur-lined jacket that she had picked up in China all those years ago. Her backpack was on her back and she wore her fingerless gloves and guns as usual.

Turning, Lara began walking up the hill to the pyramid just above her – a pyramid just like the one in South America. Hopefully it would contain the other half of the map, too. Grinning expectantly, she jogged up the snow covered slope, her eyes fixed on the large doors ahead.

Once Lara reached the paved stairs leading up to the doors, she slowed to a walk, careful of any danger that might be about. She hadn't seen any sign of anyone else yet, but that didn't always mean anything – not to mention the possibility of booby traps.

After deciding it was safe for now, Lara turned to the doors and took a good look. Stepping forward, she placed her hands flat on either door and gave them a large push, putting her whole body behind the task. For a moment, it looked as if the doors would refuse to move, before there was a loud groaning sound and they began to budge forward.

With a final push, the doors swung open and a breeze of musty, warm air flooded over Lara. Unlike the pyramid in South America, this one looked as if it was still intact. There was no sign of any snow or animals and soon Lara was taking off her jacket because of the warmth.

As the light dimmed, Lara began to creep forward, her hands hovering above her guns and her eyes wary. This was where things began to get interesting. A grin curved her lips as her blood began to pump. This was what Lara loved to do – and what she did well.

Noticing a line of evenly spaced grooves along the wall nearest her in the dim light, Lara lit a flare and threw it forward, illuminating a wide paved area. The evenly spaced grooves were also present on the opposite wall. Booby trap number one: a dart trap.

Judging the spacing and the distance carefully, as she had done many times before, Lara began to sprint past the grooves and headed for what she thought was a safe area. The hiss and click of blades shooting out of the grooves and hitting the opposite wall echoed behind her as she ran.

Working her way deeper and deeper into the pyramid, Lara came across several more booby traps. There was nothing yet that she had not seen before, and Lara wondered if something was going on. The temple in South America had been guarded better that this. Lara was still thinking about this when she stepped forward and felt the ground begin to crumble beneath her. Instinctively, she threw her arms above her head and tried to grab anything to slow or stop her fall. But before she could, Lara hit a steep stone chute and tumbled head over heels down it, before landing in a heap at the bottom.

The room smelt damp and musty, and it had a dirt floor. Lara quickly rolled to her feet and lit another flare, the other having been lost somewhere along the fall. It was a small, stone walled space, with a narrow passage leading off into the darkness.

Turning around, Lara looked up the chute that she had just come down. "Well, I can't get back through there." She muttered.

Since forward seemed the only way to go, Lara walked a few steps down the passage, before noticing that the floor suddenly became paved. When she cautiously stepped onto the stones, they began to tremble. Immediately, Lara jumped backwards and the stones fell away to reveal rows of large metal spikes that glinted dully in the light of the flare.

Lara stared down the passage as she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then she leapt forward and sprinted down the passage as the stones fell away behind her. Reaching the T-intersection at the end of the passage, Lara slowed down, wary for more traps. Her eyes snapped up when she felt the passage rumble beneath her feet.

Gasping softly, Lara saw two large boulders rolling towards her and took off in another burst of speed down the slope to her right, veering to her left at the last minute. She slid down another steep slope and carefully watched the jutting spikes at the end. Timing carefully, she jumped just before she reached the spikes, landing in another narrow room.

Lara heard the boulders slam into the wall and doorway behind her a second later, the sound echoing around the room. Wedged as they were, they effectively cut off her way back. Barely seconds later, another grinding noise echoed out over the room.

"Not again!" Lara growled, as she looked hastily around the room. One of the walls, decorated in jagged spikes, moved steadily towards her as she searched.

Spotting an opening high in one wall, Lara didn't hesitate, knowing every second counted. She sprinted to the wall and jumped up to grab the edge. Quickly, she pulled herself through the opening, adrenaline giving her extra strength, as the room got smaller and smaller. Lara scrambled forward a few steps as the spiked wall closed behind her with an echoing clang.

Then, panting, she leaned against one of the walls of the narrow passage and caught her breath. That had not been easy. After a few minutes, Lara continued down the dim passageway, this time more wary for more booby traps, having some idea of what to expect now.

Once again, the floor texture of the passage changed slightly, signaling another spike pit. Lara took a deep breath and began to sprint, the stones falling away seconds after she put pressure on them. This time, however, she didn't hesitate when she burst in to the next room. Lara heard a grinding noise again and groaned. "Bloody Hell!" she swore.

Looking around, Lara looked for an escape, conscious of the wall moving ever closer. She spun, searching the other wall for some sort of doorway or opening, but there was nothing. Starting to feel a little panicked now, Lara ran forward. As she did, the ground gave way beneath her and she fell downwards.

Landing heavily in a pool of warm, dank water, Lara groaned softly as the jolt ran all the way up her legs. She straightened, the flare still spluttering, even though it was underwater a few steps away. Lara now stood in another narrow passage with stone walls, except this one was mid-calf deep in water. Water that was now soaking uncomfortably into her boots and pants. But this was nothing new to Lara, so she just dealt with it in the same way she always did – she ignored it.

Lara left her sodden flare where it was and moved warily down the passage. The only sounds were the faint splashes of her steps and her still slightly ragged breathing. Digging out another flare as the light from the other began to dim, Lara gazed about her. The stones in the walls had decorative carvings much the same as the ones in South America.

Suddenly, part of the wall seemed to break away and swing downwards. Lara dived forward into a roll, and was promptly soaked by the dank water. A large, curved blade barely missed slicing her in two and as she watched, began swinging like a pendulum behind her. Pushing up from the dank water, Lara could see three more blades in front of her, swinging like pendulums and blocking the way.

Lara glanced around, looking for a way past the next blade. Unfortunately, the walls were all made of smooth, even stones, and the blade was swinging a little too fast to safely dodge past. Then she spotted a slight crevice running along the left wall. It was just high enough so that she would pass harmlessly above the blade, if she traversed along it hand over hand.

So Lara moved to the left wall and jumped up to grab the crevice. Then, carefully, she traversed along the passage, passing safely above two of the three remaining blades. Just past the third blade, the crevice stopped. Lara dropped and dusted off her hands. Then she turned to eye the final blade still baring her way forward.

She stood there for a minute, watching the blade swing back and forth. Lara scowled as she went through her options – there weren't many. Sighing in disgust, Lara rolled her shoulders, trying to ease some of the tension. It seemed the only way to get past the blade, was to run for it. Helpfully, the blade was swinging a little slower than all the others, so it wouldn't be quite so difficult. There was a chance, however, that the blade would meet some of her unprotected flesh, but Lara didn't care for that option. So she'd just have to make sure it didn't happen. She wasn't a Tomb Raider for nothing.

Lara began counting as the blade swung past her. She would have about three seconds to get beyond the arc of the blade. Watching the blade swing back towards her, Lara tensed. As soon as it changed direction, she dived forward. She landed on her shoulder blades and rolled, just squeezing past the blade in time. Lara coughed a little as she came up, once again getting covered in water. She wiped her face and smiled wryly. She always did seem to get covered in gross things in her line of work.

Climbing to her feet once again, Lara continued down the passage. Sounds of swishing still drifted through the air from the blades behind her, breaking the somewhat eerie silence of the passage. By now, Lara was sure that this passage lead to what she was after – it wouldn't be so highly protected if it wasn't important. Lara had noticed over her years of tomb raiding, that the more traps, the closer you were to whatever you were after.

A few meters down the passage, Lara stopped, suddenly getting a bad feeling. Looking down, Lara noticed there were a few loose stones on the floor of the passage. She bent down and picked one of them up. It was about the size of her fist and a decent weight. Aiming carefully, Lara threw the stone forward. It landed with a splash.

A second later, a loud bang reverberated down the corridor, startling Lara so much she jumped. She hadn't expected that. The loud bang had come from two sections of the wall springing out and slamming into each other with a great deal of force, appearing to be rather like a stone gate. Except, as Lara watched, the sections retracted, before surging forward again and slamming together.

Lara could hear slightly muffled slams slightly out of rhythm to the walls in front of her, and gathered that there were more of the traps beyond. Taking a few steps backwards, Lara watched the walls. As soon as they slammed together, she began to sprint, surged through them as they opened. Catching sight of the walls ahead, she sped up. And it was just as well, as Lara heard the hiss of blades shooting out of the walls as she ran past.

Darting through the next trap just in time, Lara felt the adrenaline surge through her blood and she pushed herself forward, knowing that if she slowed down or faltered for any reason, she wouldn't make it. With expert grace, Lara dodged easily around the blades and barriers, a grin spreading across her features at the rush she always got from a challenge like this.

She skidded to a halt just beyond the last section of wall, and grinned in triumph at the ornate stairs leading upwards. She'd made it!

Lara hooked her flare into her belt as she climbed the stairs and tried to ignore the squishing in her boots. Her hands hovered near the holsters of her guns. After the appearance in South America of a whole lot of armed men, Lara wasn't taking any chances.

The room at the top of the stairs was empty of people though, so Lara hoped this meant that no one had discovered there was a second artifact yet. It was always so satisfying when your opponents never knew what you were up to until you had already done it.

The room itself was circular and highly decorated with engravings on all the walls, which were made from the same sand coloured stone as the temple in South America had been. Smooth pavers covered the floor and Lara trod on them carefully, wary that they might be booby trapped. There were several statues surrounding the lone pedestal in the centre of the room, guarding it. But it was the artifact sitting on the pedestal that caught Lara's attention.

It was much like the Tear of the Stars, as it was made from the same material. It resembled a large piece of quartz or diamond, except that swirled within it were streaks of cloudy material that looked almost like milk. Symbols were carved in a strip around the middle and inlayed with a silvery metal. One of the edges was rather curved and jagged, as if it were the edge of a complicated puzzle piece – which is essentially what it was.

Lara walked over to the pedestal and gazed curiously at the piece. It was very beautiful and deserved its name – The Heart of the Heavens – just as the Tear had. But then, it did make sense when you considered the people that built these temples to house the pieces had crafted them as well. To them, the pieces had been very special indeed. And so was what the pieces led to – the mythical city of Babylon.

Still grinning, Lara reached out and grabbed the Heart, carefully stowing it in her backpack. As she picked up the artifact, a door opposite swung open with a soft creak. 'Brilliant!' Lara thought. 'A way out!'

It didn't take Lara long to find her way out into the bright sunshine and crisp air again, since she met no booby traps on the way. Slipping on her sunglasses, Lara was about to dig out her jacket when she heard several hushed voices speaking in Russian. Since she had come out of a doorway towards the back of the temple, they probably didn't know she was here – yet. Unfortunately, there were between Lara and her hidden jeep.

Creeping around a corner, Lara found a spot to hide as she listened to their conversation from above. Looking to see who it was, Lara was surprised to find it was the same woman and her goons from South America.

"We need the second artifact!" the woman snapped in Russian.

"What about the first one?" one of the armed men asked.

"We'll deal with that later." The woman answered flatly. "What's taking Gregori so long?"

As she spoke, two more armed men came out of the main doors to the pyramid. "Well Gregori?" the woman demanded.

"The traps have been triggered." Gregori reported. Then he tossed something to the woman. "And I found this."

It was one of Lara's flares. The woman swore. "Do we go after them?" Gregori asked.

"No." The woman replied. "We wait for them to come out."

Lara swore silently. She had been hoping they'd go into the pyramid, giving Lara enough time to get to her hidden jeep. But it seemed today that luck wasn't going to be on her side.

"Spread out!" the woman ordered. "There may be more exits!"

Lara suppressed a groan. This woman was good. Sighing, Lara realized she had three options: she could go back inside the pyramid and try to wait them out, she could take the excessively long way around or she could fight her way out. Normally, Lara was never reluctant to fight her way out of any situation, but this time, her opponents didn't know _who_ it was that was here – and keeping it that way seemed like a good plan to Lara. It would be an advantage to know who your enemies were without them knowing who _you_ were.

To that end, Lara crept backwards out of her hiding spot, keeping a wary eye out for the armed men now climbing all over the pyramid. Unfortunately, one of the men caught sight of her and shouted the alarm. Lara drew her guns in a fluid movement and took off in a sprint. She fired at a few of the men in her way, and they dived for cover, clearing her path. As the men returned fire, Lara dodged the bullets nimbly and put on a burst of speed.

"Get her!" the woman yelled.

No, they wouldn't. Lara was too good for them. By the time the goons were organized enough to give chase, Lara was halfway down the trail and had almost disappeared from sight. This wasn't the first time she had been chased and Lara knew better than to get caught, anyway.

Lara darted into a twisting ravine as she heard a burst of gunfire above her. The sheer walls and icy hill would give her protection from a lot of the gunfire and hopefully cause the men to hesitate in their pursuit. Lara knew she, too, would have to be careful, but this wasn't the first time Lara had been forced to flee down an icy slope.

Moving as quickly as possible, Lara put as much distance as she could between herself and the goons. As the first one entered the ravine, Lara turned the first corner. Chips of rock and ice burst out from where the man's bullets dug into the rock wall. They fell harmlessly onto the trail behind Lara.

She felt her mouth curve into a grin. They'd have to do better than that, if they wanted to catch her.

Lara continued to dodge and twist her way through the ravine, avoiding the men easily. Because the path twisted so much, it was quite easy to keep from sight – and therefore out of range of any bullets that might come her way.

Bursting out of the ravine into a clearing, Lara paused slightly and listened for a sign of her followers. Hearing no sounds of them near enough to her, Lara slowed to a jog and tried to breath more deeply. The cold mountain air soothed the slight burning in her lungs as she brought her jagged breathing under control. Frowning at her condition, Lara decided she was just going to have to train a bit harder when she got back to England. Her condition wasn't as good as it should be – after all, she shouldn't be panting yet!

Lara made it to the edge of a vertical drop before the woman and her men rushed out from the end of the ravine. Glancing over her shoulder, Lara flashed them a grin. Then she jumped over the edge.

And landed in a crouch on the hidden ledge below.

She ran along it, heading towards the tunnel entrance set into the wall. Stopping a few steps inside, Lara turned to see if any of the men had caught her trick. But, remaining hidden in the shadows of the entrance, Lara saw the woman skid to the edge of the cliff and look about wildly. After a moment of looking about, the woman snarled and spun, stalking away from the edge in anger.

Lara grinned. They'd lost her! She walked back through the tunnels to the clearing where she had left her jeep. Climbing in, she threw her backpack onto the passenger seat and started the engine. As she drove down the mountain, Lara couldn't keep the smile off her face. Sometimes it was so good to be alive.

To be continued…


	5. Research

**The Hunt for Babylon:**

**By cheekychaos**

Chapter Five:

Lara sighed rather contentedly as she stepped out of the steamy bathroom. That hot shower had done wonders for her sore and tired muscles. She was dressed more comfortably now in jeans and a light sweater, with her damp hair falling down her back.

The hotel room Lara was staying in was small, but comfortable. It had everything Lara needed – a bathroom, a bed and a nice warm furnace. And as inviting as that bed looked right now, Lara knew she had to keep moving. The business of this artefact had just got a whole lot more complicated. Someone else wanted it badly – enough to try and kill her for it.

Digging out her phone, Lara called home. "Bryce?" she said when her tech answered the phone.

"Hey, Lara." Bryce replied sounding sleepy.

"Where's Hilary?"

"Shopping, I think." Bryce said. "Why? What's wrong?"

"The situation has become a lot more complicated. Tell Hilary I'll be home early tomorrow. I'll explain more when I get there." Lara said.

"Sure." Bryce replied. "No problem, Lara."

Suddenly Lara heard a sound at the door to her room. "I have to go." She told Bryce.

"Bye, then." Bryce said as Lara hung up.

Tucking her phone into her pocket, Lara tossed her towel on the bed and grabbed her leather jacket and backpack from a nearby chair. There was a louder clicking sound as Lara walked to the open window and she grinned slightly ruthlessly. Someone was picking the lock. But they wouldn't get what they were after.

Lara climbed out the window onto the fire escape and shivered slightly in the cold air outside. Small flakes of snow drifted down through the air and settled on her still damp hair and shoulders. But before she climbed down, Lara paused off to the side of the window and took her digital camera out of her backpack. It might be helpful to find out who exactly was after her and pictures would make that easier.

As Lara watched, the door swung open and a man crept in. He was dressed in dark clothes and carried a gun. Behind him stood a beautiful woman with pale brown skin. Lara recognized them both from the Pyramid – and from South America. Taking her camera, she snapped off a few quick shots, before carefully drawing further back from the window as the woman walked towards it.

"She's not here." The man said after a moment. "There's nothing left."

The woman swore heartily in Russian, causing Lara to raise an eyebrow. "Find her!" the woman snapped. "I want to know who she is and what she wants with the artifact!"

'Same goes for you.' Lara thought.

Lara waited for another long moment until the woman moved away form the window, before creeping down the fire escape as quietly as she could. Walking quickly down the snow covered street, Lara kept a wary eye out for anyone suspicious. She had a feeling Dr. Jackson's friends might be around somewhere too.

Climbing into her hired Jeep, Lara gave the area a last scan before easing out into the traffic. She needed to get back home so she could find out who was following her. And it might be time to find out exactly what Dr. Daniel Jackson did for a living now, too.

* * *

Sam ran a hand over her tired eyes. She, Teal'c and Agent Vaughn were all in her lab. They'd been through the Intel at least three times so far. Sam had already briefed the General on the size of the security breach and what it led to. Sam sighed. This was Daniel's field of expertise, not hers. He was always figuring out things like this. Sam was happier when things involved wires or physics.

"I do not believe this is working, Major Carter." Teal'c said, breaking the silence.

Sam looked at him. "I don't either, Teal'c." she said.

Agent Vaughn frowned and shot them both an annoyed look. "We need to find out what Sloane is after. He went to great lengths to get his hands on this Intel, so there's got to be something in here to give us a clue."

"But we're just going round in circles." Sam said. "If there's something here, we can't see it."

"Indeed." Teal'c agreed. "Perhaps Dr. Jackson would be of more help."

Sam sighed again. "When's Daniel getting back?"

Before anyone could answer, Jack, Daniel and Sydney all walked through the door. Daniel had his nose firmly buried in a book and Jack and Sydney appeared to be deep in conversation. "Just the archaeologist we were talking about." Sam said.

"Indeed." Teal'c agreed.

"Hmm?" Daniel said as he looked up from his book and blinked.

Sam smiled. "How was your trip?" she asked.

"Oh it was just peachy, Carter." Jack said as he came to sit down. "We weren't the only ones after the artifact."

"What?" Vaughn snapped.

"Anna." Sydney said. "She was there. She didn't get the artifact, though."

"I don't understand." Sam said. "If Anna Espinosa didn't get it and you didn't get it…then who did?"

Jack scowled. "Why don't you tell them, Danny?" he said. "She's your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Daniel snapped back at Jack, a matching scowl on his face. It sounded as if the two of them had been over this a few times on the ride home.

Still frowning, Daniel turned back to the group. "The reason we didn't get the artifact is because Lara Croft got there first. Lara is a well known archaeologist and was dubbed the 'tomb raider' by the press. She was the speaker I flew to Washington to hear."

"What does Lara Croft want the artifact for?" Vaughn asked.

"My guess would be that she's trying to find what it leads to as well." Daniel answered.

"Then she might know why Arvin Sloane wants it." Sam said.

"If only it were as easy as that." Jack muttered.

"Yeah." Daniel agreed with a slight wince. "Lara doesn't like to work with other people."

"We need that artifact." Sydney stated. "So we're just going to have to find a way to get Lara Croft to share."

"Good luck." Daniel muttered.

* * *

After a long and tiring flight, Lara pulled into the drive of Croft Manor. Even the fast drive from London in her Aston Martin hadn't helped to alleviate the feeling of trouble in her gut. Something was going on and she was involved now whether she liked it or not. All Lara had to do was figure out what it was she had gotten mixed up in.

"Hilary?" Lara called out as she walked in the door. "Bryce?"

Hilary walked out of the doorway leading to the kitchens. "Morning, Lara." He greeted. "How was your trip?"

"Complicated." Lara answered. "Where's Bryce?"

"With his computers, I think."

Lara nodded. "Good." She said, handing Hilary a small case. "Put this in the vault, will you?"

"Of course." Hilary replied, taking the case. He knew Lara well enough to guess what was in there.

Lara strode towards the tech room and pushed open the glass door. Bryce sat inside, happily typing away at a computer and singing a little off key to whatever music was pumping through his large headphones.

Tapping him on the shoulder, Lara watched Bryce whirl around in surprise. Raising an eyebrow, she spoke. "Bryce?"

Taking off his headphones, Bryce gave Lara a bright smile. "Hey, Lara."

Lara smiled softly in return. "I've got a job for you." She said, handing Bryce her digital camera. "Find out who the woman in the photos is and who she works for."

"Sure, Lara."

"Oh, and Bryce?" Lara added. "Find out who Dr. Daniel Jackson is currently working for."

"No problem."

Leaving him to his work, Lara moved towards the back of the room and began to pace. Her hair, now done up in its customary braid, twitched every time she pivoted, making Lara look a little like an edgy cat. Her mind was running at a hundred miles an hour, sorting out everything she knew about the artifacts and the map they made.

"Lara?" Hilary asked as he walked in, breaking into her thoughts.

"Right." Lara said. "Bryce, you'd better listen to this too."

"Alright." Bryce said, but kept on typing.

Starting from the beginning, Lara told her two trusted friends about the events in South America and Tibet, ending in the break in to her hotel room. "Do you think they'll come here for the artifact?" Hilary asked.

"I'm not sure." Lara replied. "But we'd better be on our guard."

Hilary nodded, looking thoughtful. Before he could say anything else, however, Bryce cried out in triumph. "Found her!"

Lara moved quickly to stand behind Bryce, leaning over his shoulder and staring intently at the computer screen. "Anna Espinosa. Born in Cuba and trained by the KGB. Currently working for the highest bidder." she read from the screen.

Leaning back, Lara swore. "Why the hell would a spy want an ancient Babylonian artifact?" she snapped. "Bryce, can you find out who she's working for?"

"I could…" Bryce said. "…if I hacked into Langley. The CIA would have all the information we want."

Lara took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Do it." She said. "But, Bryce? Don't get caught this time."

"Yes!" Bryce cried out excitedly, the light of challenge in his eyes. He had been dying to hack into Langley for months.

Tiredly, Lara rubbed a hand over her face. "Don't forget about Dr. Jackson, Bryce." She said, before turning to Hilary. "I'm going to get a few hours sleep. Wake me up if anything happens."

"Of course." Hilary replied.

When Lara came back downstairs six hours later, she found Bryce standing triumphantly outside the tech room. As she approached him, he held up two folders. "One file on Anna Espinosa and one on Dr. Jackson's current employer." He said.

"Brilliant." Lara replied. Then she raised an eyebrow. "I won't be getting a call from Langley, will I?"

"Not on your life, mate!" Bryce said with a grin.

Still smiling, Lara took the files and walked upstairs to the library, where she settled down to read. Five minutes later, Hilary came in with some food. Lara looked up and smiled. "You're an angel, Hilary." She said.

Hilary merely smiled. "Did you need anything else, Lara?"

"No thank you, Hilly."

Lara was soon engrossed in her reading. The file on Anna Espinosa was fascinating. The woman was a ruthless and sometimes cruel killer, but she had an undeniable intelligence and cunning. She knew just how to use whoever and whatever was around her to get what she wanted.

The man she was currently working for was just as ruthless and cunning, if not more so. He had once been a member of the Alliance, a deadly terrorist organisation, but now he seemed to be setting up his own. He was apparently recruiting a team for something, but no one knew what – except Lara knew they had something to do with those artifacts, or Anna wouldn't have been so desperate to get them.

Switching to the file on Dr. Daniel Jackson, Lara felt a little guilty for prying. She knew there were things she wasn't supposed to know – but when it came down to it, not knowing could get her killed. Lara was surprised when she saw he was currently working for the military. The United States Air Force to be exact. Now how did one of the world's most brilliant, if slightly offbeat, archaeologists get involved in the military? They didn't exactly go around digging up ancient civilizations.

Frowning, Lara continued to read the small file Bryce had dug up. There wasn't much information, but Lara wasn't surprised considering the military's track record. They weren't the world's most forthcoming organisation. There were several references to a find at Giza and some ongoing investigation into whatever it was that had been found. It just didn't say what it was.

A little disturbed at what she had learnt, Lara got up and went for a walk. Something very complicated was going on here and Lara supposed she would have to go straight to the source.

Reaching her decision, Lara picked up the phone. Doing a quick calculation of the time zones, she hoped Daniel would be awake already, as it would still be early morning in America.

"Hello?" answered a sleepy voice.

"Daniel? It's Lara."

"Lara? Hey. How are you?" Daniel said as the sleepiness faded from his voice.

"Tired." Lara said, before letting out a sigh. "Daniel, can you tell me why you were really at that tomb in South America?"

"Ah…" Daniel began.

"I know whatever it is, is complicated." Lara continued. "But there's something you should know. There is a second artifact. And Anna Espinosa was after that one too."

"You know Anna Espinosa?" Daniel asked, sounding a little shocked.

"No, but I did some digging." Lara answered. "I like to know who I'm up against."

"And the second artifact?" Daniel asked after a slight pause. "Do you have it?"

"Yes."

Daniel let out a long breath. "Look, Lara, I'm sorry I can't say why, but it's important I have a look at those artifacts."

"I thought you would want to see them." Lara said. "I'm coming down to Colorado Springs. And Daniel? Call whoever it is you have to call, because when I get there I'm going to want to know exactly what is going on and why Anna Espinosa tried to kill me."

"She tried to kill you?" Daniel said, sounding worried. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Lara said. "People have shot at me before."

"Okay." Daniel replied. "I'll call my boss. Hurry Lara. I think something very serious is going on here."

"I will." Lara said. "Bye."

"Bye."

Lara hung up the phone and glanced at the two files. Gathering them up, she walked towards her room to pack. Hilary was just coming up the stairs as she exited the library. "Hilary, can you book me on the next flight to Colorado Springs?" she asked.

"Of course." Hilary answered. "May I ask why, Lara?"

"I'm going to see Dr. Jackson." Lara replied.

"I see." Hilary said. "I'll take the artifacts out of the vault for you."

"Thank you, Hilly." Lara said with a smile.

Lara was packed in an hour and ready to leave half an hour after that. "I'll keep in contact as much as possible." Lara said to Hilary as they walked to the front door. "And tell Bryce I may need him."

"Of course, Lara." Hilary said. "Have a good flight."

"I will." Lara replied. "I don't know what I'd do without you sometimes."

Lara chuckled as Hilary blushed slightly and climbed into her Aston Martin. She pulled out of the drive to Croft Manor a minute later and headed towards Heathrow. Dr. Daniel Jackson had some explaining to do.

To be continued…


	6. Finding Answers

**The Hunt for Babylon:**

**By cheekychaos**

Chapter Six:

Daniel stood, waiting anxiously, at the Colorado Springs airport for Lara's plane to come in. After a long talk with General Hammond, he had finally convinced everyone that Lara would be a big help in their current situation. Thankfully, General Hammond had agreed when he heard about some of her exploits.

So it was Daniel's job to bring her in. He was a little apprehensive of Lara's reaction. She was well known as someone who didn't always follow the rules. He wasn't sure what she would do – this was pretty shocking and complicated stuff to deal, as Daniel knew from personal experience.

About five minutes later, Daniel spotted Lara in the crowd and walked towards her. "Hey, Lara." He greeted cheerfully.

Lara was still dressed in her leather jacket and jeans (although another pair this time), with a pair of sunglasses perched on her nose. "Hello, Daniel." She replied in her cultured accent.

"How was your flight?" Daniel asked, as he led the way to his car.

"I caught up on my sleep." At Daniel's startled look, Lara explained. "It's been a rough couple of days."

"Oh." Daniel said. "Yeah, I get those too."

Lara smiled. "So, do I get to meet this mysterious boss of yours?"

"Yeah." Daniel nodded. "Do you have a place to stay? Because we could dump your stuff first, if you want."

"No, actually, I don't." Lara replied. "I wasn't sure how long I'd be staying."

Daniel smiled wryly. "Let's go see the General, then."

"The General?"

"General George Hammond." Daniel explained. "My boss."

* * *

Getting into Cheyenne Mountain Complex was deceptively easy. Daniel just flashed his ID at the guards and let him through. Lara followed behind, slightly in awe of Daniel's relaxed confidence, as if walking into a highly classified USAF base was as easy as a walk in the park. Although, considering he worked here, maybe it was. Lara couldn't help but feel nervous at the prospect, herself.

When the pair came to a closed door, Daniel turned to Lara. "This is where I leave you for a little while." He said. "There are a few things you have to sign."

Lara nodded. "I thought as much." Lara said dryly.

Daniel smiled and opened the door to reveal a table, two chairs and a man in military uniform. "Ma'am." He greeted.

"As soon as you're done, I'll take you to see General Hammond." Daniel said.

"Thank you." Lara replied as he shut the door.

Taking a seat, Lara gazed at the man opposite her and raised an eyebrow. "So where do I sign my soul away?"

The officer suppressed a smile and pushed a small stack of forms and a pen across the table. "Not exactly your soul, ma'am." He said. "Just the Official Secrets Act."

"Ah." Lara said, nodding. "So just my tongue then?"

This time the officer did smile. "Don't worry." He said. "It's worth it, ma'am."

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah." The officer replied with feeling.

"Well, then." Lara said, signing the forms. "I'm curious now. Of course, they did say curiosity killed the cat."

"With all due respect, ma'am, I doubt anyone could kill you."

Lara looked up to find the officer grinning at her. "One can only hope." She said, smiling back.

By the time Daniel came back, Lara had signed all the relevant forms. Daniel was now dressed in a pair of olive greens BDU's, to which Lara raised an eyebrow. There was something a little strange about the image, Lara reflected, but they also seemed to suit him. Like he had earned the right to wear them with confidence.

"Hey." He greeted with a shy smile. "All done?"

"Quite." Lara replied.

Daniel led the way downstairs, deeper into the mountain complex and down a maze of twisting corridors. They finally reached a drab green door, on which Daniel knocked softly. "Enter." Said a muffled voice from behind the door.

Opening the door, Daniel stepped through. "Lady Croft is here." He said.

"Please, call me Lara." Lara said as Daniel stepped aside to reveal the people in the room beyond.

There were three men and one woman dressed in military uniforms sitting at the large conference table in the centre of the room, along with a woman and a man dressed in serious black business suits.

"Well, Lara, my name is General Hammond." One of the men in dressed in military uniforms stood up at the head of the table. He was plump and balding, but there was an intelligent gleam in his eyes that was not to be underestimated. "I am the supervisor of this facility."

"Pleased to meet you." Lara greeted.

General Hammond introduced her to everyone else at the table. "Now, I believe you have some information for us." The General said.

Lara raised her eyebrow archly at the wording, and placed the case she was carrying on the table. If the General started demanding, Lara would have something to say, despite the respect Daniel had for him. "How much do you know about the temple in South America?" she asked.

"Not much." The General replied. "Only that a man named Arvin Sloane wanted whatever was in there."

"Well, there's a little bit more to it than that." Lara explained. "The pyramid in South America was a temple designed to protect an artefact known as 'the Tear of the Stars'."

Lara looked around the room at the nodding heads. This was what they already knew. "This artefact is half of a map, the other half being a second artefact hidden in Tibet." Lara continued. Now she had their attention – they didn't know this part. "The artefact was named 'the Heart of the Heavens'."

Lara opened the case and swung it around, revealing the two artefacts nestled together in the foam inside. They gleamed with a rich silver in the light. "Wow." Daniel breathed, getting up to have a closer look. "They're beautiful."

"You said they were a map." Sydney said. "So where do they lead?"

"I believe they lead to the lost city of Babylon." Lara replied.

At her words, Daniel almost fell over backwards. "Babylon?" he asked. He shot Lara a look that spoke volumes of his surprise and excitement. "But…wow!"

Lara grinned back, just as excited. "I know!" she said.

"I hate to interrupt this little celebration." Jack said dryly. "But what does Babylon have to do with this Milo nut?"

"And what about P4X-239?" the General asked.

"That, I don't know." Lara said. "But the city of Babylon was said to have a 'gateway to the stars'. Could Sloane be after that?"

"A stargate?" Sam asked surprised.

"Is that possible?" the General asked.

Lara nodded. "It could be possible." She answered. "Every description I've read describes it as a gateway or portal, which implies its physical rather that spiritual."

"Why would Arvin Sloane seek to find a stargate when he does not know of their existence?" Teal'c asked.

No one had an answer to that. Then Daniel looked up from where he had been studying the artefacts, startled. "These markings!" he said. "Some of them are the language of the Ancients!"

"The people who built the stargates?" Lara asked.

"Well, that confirms the existence of a stargate at Babylon, sir." Sam said to Hammond.

"We cannot let Arvin Sloane find this city." Hammond said. "He cannot be allowed access to a stargate."

"What about Rambaldi?" Vaughn demanded.

"He was an alien." Sydney said softly. "That's why there are references to him on other planets."

Sam looked at her, a slightly shocked look on her face. "Babylon is a city of the Ancients!" she cried.

Jack blinked. "Okay, Carter. Run that by me again." He said. "I thought you just said Babylon is a city of the Ancients!"

Sam blushed slightly under Jack's intense gaze. "Well, sir." She said. "It makes sense. If Babylon was an Ancient city, it would explain the stargate and its disappearance."

"It would also explain Rambaldi's inventions in part." Daniel agreed.

Jack frowned. "How?" he asked.

"Well, one of his artefacts leads to a supposed Ancient city." Daniel explained. "That means, Rambaldi must have either had access to Ancient technology…"

"Or?" The General asked.

"…was an Ancient himself." Daniel finished.

Jack swore under his breath, as did Agent Vaughn. "So what do we do about this people?" Hammond asked. "So far all we have is a lot of speculation."

"I would suggest going back to P4X-239, General." Jack said. "There might be something we missed the first time."

"What about the artefacts?" Lara asked.

"We'll keep them on base for a while." The General answered. "Until we know a bit more about them."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, sir?" Sam asked. "What about the NID?"

"She has a point, sir." Jack agreed.

"What do you propose, Major?" the General asked, knowing Sam well enough to know she had another suggestion.

"That Lady Croft keeps the artefacts with her." Sam said. "From what I've heard, she could certainly protect them."

"I'm not so sure." Sydney said. "Anna will stop at nothing to get what she wants."

"What if she stays with one of us?" Daniel suggested. "Then Anna won't know where she is."

"But what will happen when you go to P4X-239?" Hammond asked.

"Why doesn't she come with us?" Daniel asked. "Having another archaeologist would certainly help."

"Lady Croft?" Hammond asked.

Lara was grinning widely. "Of course." She said. "I've always loved a good adventure."

"That's settled then." Hammond said. "Lara Croft will accompany you off-world. Until then, I want those artefacts studied."

"Yes, sir." Jack acknowledged. "But when do we leave?"

"How long will you need to study those artefacts, Dr. Jackson?" Hammond asked.

"For me to be able to get a clear indication of where and what the map leads to and exactly who wrote it…" Daniel trailed off when he saw Jack's look. "Maybe a day. I don't know."

Then Daniel looked at Lara. "But with Lady Croft's help, perhaps 12 hours."

"Done." The General agreed. "If Lady Croft has no objections?"

"Only that you call me Lara." Lara replied. "Lady Croft sounds so stuffy."

Hammond smiled. "I think we can manage that."

Having finally decided their course of action, everyone left the room rather quickly, intent on their own separate tasks. Daniel led Lara to his lab and office, leaving the others in quiet conversation behind them. Although, Lara thought she heard a few references to chocolate cake, but that could be right. When she glanced at Daniel, she found him smiling.

"Would I be right in saying that your friends are arguing about what to eat?" Lara asked in a low voice.

"Yeah, they are." Daniel replied, his voice conspiratorially soft. "Jack always wants food after a briefing, crisis permitting."

"He also seems to be a fan of chocolate cake." Lara told him, her head cocked slightly as she listened to the conversation.

"Oh, yeah." Daniel agreed with feeling. "Never stand in the way of Jack and a piece of chocolate cake. I learnt that the hard way."

"Really?" Lara said. "What did he do?"

"Let's just say, you only make that mistake once."

Lara grinned. "So, what exactly is your favourite food, Dr. Jackson?" she asked.

"Coffee." Daniel said, without hesitation. "Above all else. How about you?"

"Beans on toast." At Daniel's curious look, Lara explained. "I've tasted food from all over the world, so sometimes it's nice to have something a little boring and very British."

Daniel grinned as he nodded. "I know exactly what you mean."

By now, the pair had reached Daniel's lab and Lara smiled at what she saw. The room was reasonably large, about half the size of the briefing room with a large table in the centre. Here and there, artefacts dotted the tables and shelves. Bookshelves covered every available bit of wall space that wasn't used by either the door or the desk on the right wall.

Books were crammed into the bookcases, the many varied titles catching Lara's eye as much as their excellent condition. Daniel Jackson, it seemed, cared a great deal for his books, a trait Lara always admired. Lara knew how important knowledge was and could not bear to see it treated poorly – whether it was an ancient tablet or a more modern book.

Daniel's desk was covered in a large computer and many open books, maps and the odd artefact. But it was the table in the caught her attention. Sprawled across it were open texts, partial translations, maps, artefacts, photos and copious amounts of notes – so much so, that no part of the scarred surface was visible.

"Wow." Lara said.

Daniel blushed slightly. "Sorry I didn't clean up, but I got a little distracted."

Lara turned to him. "I don't care about the mess, Daniel, but I must say that your collection of books and artefacts is quite impressive. I could almost imagine I'm home standing in here."

"Yeah, but drab green isn't exactly inviting, is it?" Daniel agreed. "That's why I had to cover it with all those books and pieces of paper."

Lara chuckled. "So, where do we begin?"

"Well, we might as we start with what we know about Babylon and work our way out from there." Daniel said.

"I can do that." Lara said. "Why don't you try and translate some of those markings? It might be easier for you, considering your experience."

"Good idea."

The pair settled into work, with Lara making space for herself at the table and Daniel spread out at the other desk, a bright light shining on the artefacts as he studied them. Every so often he would scrawl something down in a notebook, or check one of his other notebooks for a translation. Lara smiled softly as she spared him a glance, before continuing on with her reading.

Most of the books on Babylon described what most archaeologists believed – that Babylon was an advanced city for the time, with legendary hanging gardens that had a complex irrigation system and a mixture of science and religion that promoted respect and harmony for nature and the gathering of scientific, spiritual and medical knowledge. And from what Lara understood about Ancient culture, this sounded almost exactly like them.

After a while, Lara sighed. "Nothing I'm reading changes what we already think." She said. "Or gives us a location."

Daniel nodded absently. "Try the books on the end of the second shelf." He told her.

Lara did as he asked, curious. The books were all old, some written in Ancient Greek and others in Latin. There was even a French book with Mesopotamian translations. "You don't have a problem with any of the languages, do you?" Daniel asked.

Lara smiled. "I've got similar books at home myself, so no, the languages are fine."

Daniel smiled back. "Oh, good."

Lara settled back down to her research, this time using the books Daniel recommended. She sifted through all the information, but didn't find anything knew. She was about to growl in frustration when Daniel made an exclamation. "Got something!" he cried.

"What is it?" Lara asked, putting the book down and coming over to where he was sitting.

"Does this look like a series of gate symbols to you?" Daniel asked, pointing at a small group of symbols etched in silver on one of the artefacts.

Lara peered thoughtfully at the enlarged image through the large magnifying glass Daniel had set up. "It could definitely be." She said. "But what address is it?"

"Not sure." Daniel muttered, as he quickly jotted it down.

"Dr. Jackson, Lara, what are you still doing here?" A voice asked from the doorway.

Daniel and Lara turned in surprise to see General Hammond. He was wearing his jacket and carrying a briefcase, almost as if he was going somewhere. "It's 2100. Even Major Carter has gone home."

Daniel glanced at his watch in surprise. "I didn't realise it was that late." He said.

"Go home, Dr. I'm sure this could all wait until morning." Hammond said.

"Yes, General." Daniel replied.

"Well, goodnight then." Hammond said.

Both Daniel and Lara wished the General a goodnight, before Daniel turned to Lara. "Shall we?" he asked.

Lara nodded. "Yes." She said as she carefully placed the artefacts back in her case.

The pair quickly gathered up their belongings and left the base for the night.

To be continued…


	7. A Friendly Visit

Author's Note:

Sorry guys, but it's exam time again for me, so I might not be updating this story as fast as I could, as I have to study :(. Hopefully though, as I am halfway through the next chapter, I won't be too long!

Cheeky.

P.S. I just want to say thank you to everyone who reviewed! I'm a sucker for feedback and it was really great to hear what you think of this!

* * *

**The Hunt for Babylon:**

**By cheekychaos**

Chapter Seven:

Sam sighed in frustration. She'd gone over the CIA intel so many times her head hurt. She, Sydney and Vaughn were stuck in her lab, going over all the CIA's files on Rambaldi. And there were a lot of them. The CIA had been gathering information on the prophet for almost 50 years now.

Throwing down the file in disgust, she reached for her coffee and found it cold and bitter. "This is getting us nowhere." She said in annoyance.

Sydney nodded as she threw down her own file. "I know."

Vaughn looked up, an annoyed frown on his face. "This is all the information on Rambaldi we have." He said. "We need to find out what Sloane is up to."

"Yeah, but we're not going to find it here." Sydney said, gesturing at the piles of paper and files around them.

"I think the problem lies in the fact that the CIA didn't know the connection between Rambaldi and the stargate – or have any information on the Stargate Programme."

Sydney smiled with amusement. "True." She said. "And here we are thinking we knew everything that was important."

"Sydney…" Vaughn began.

"No, Vaughn." Sydney interrupted. "We've been acting rather arrogant. We keep assuming that only the CIA would have information on Rambaldi. But it's possible that the SGC has come across him too."

"Unfortunately, if we have, we don't know it." Sam said. "I haven't heard any reference to a prophet or inventor that sounds even close to Rambaldi and you've already read all the information we have on P4X-239."

"Still, it's worth a look, don't you think?" Sydney said.

Sam yawned. "Yeah, but can we leave it to the morning?"

Before Sydney could reply or Vaughn could voice whatever problems he seemed to have with their plan, Jack stuck his head around the door. "Carter!" he barked. "Go home!"

Sam sighed. "Yes, sir." She said.

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Yes, sir?" he asked. "No arguments about your latest doohickie?"

Sam smiled slightly. "No, sir. No arguments."

"Alright, who are you and what have you done with Carter?" Jack asked.

Sam laughed. "I promise it's really me, sir."

"Fine. Just go home." Jack told her. "We can deal with your obvious alien possession when the sun is shining."

Sydney smiled wryly. "But how can you tell it's not this far underground?" she asked.

Jack turned to her and winked. "Magic." He said.

Sam and Sydney laughed, while Vaughn frowned. "Are you leaving now, sir?" Sam asked after a moment.

"Yeah. Barring any Goa'uld invasion or intergalactic crisis." Jack replied.

Smiling, she gathered up a few files, Sam replied. "I'll walk out with you, just give me a minute to…"

"Carter." Jack interrupted with a warning look.

Sam looked at her commanding officer and rolled her eyes. "Yes, sir." She said.

Sydney raised an eyebrow and looked at the two of them. "Did I just miss half of that conversation?" she asked. At the looks both of them gave her, she laughed. "Never mind, I get it."

Grabbing her coat, she jumped up. "Mind if I join you?" she asked.

"Be my guest." Jack said. "I'm going to go change. Meet you back here in ten minutes."

"Yes, sir." Sam said as he walked away. She turned to Sydney. "I need to change too."

"No, problem. I'll wait right here." Sydney replied.

As she waited in silence for Sam and Jack to return, Sydney turned to watch Vaughn still sifting through all the files. She felt the familiar pang that she always did. It wasn't a pang of love it had once been, for Vaughn had stopped making her heart skip a beat a long time ago. But it was sadness. Once upon a time, Sydney had believed Vaughn was her soul mate, but it hadn't exactly worked out as planned.

Finally Vaughn broke the somewhat uncomfortable silence. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing." Sydney replied.

"Look, Syd, if you want to talk, I'm here, okay?" he said, putting down the file he was reading. "I'll always be here for you."

"No, you won't." Sydney said. "You're married to someone else, Vaughn. We'll never be like that anymore."

"Sydney, I explained what happened…" Vaughn started.

Sydney held up her hand. "You don't need to defend your decision again, Vaughn. I'm not going to argue about it again. I'm getting over it. But the fact remains that we can't have what we had. Not anymore."

Vaughn looked sadly at her. It was the look that always reminded Sydney of a puppy who had just been told off. Once, she had thought the look was cute. Now it just annoyed her. "I'm still your friend, Syd." He said.

"Yeah." Sydney said. "You are."

At that moment, Sam and Jack reappeared, arguing good-naturedly. "Ready to go?" Sam asked her.

"Oh, yeah." Sydney said, smiling back at Sam.

She turned back to Vaughn. "I'll see you in the morning." She said. "Oh, and Vaughn? Call your wife. She'll be missing you."

And with that, Sydney joined Sam and Jack on the long walk back to the surface and the everyday world.

* * *

Lara tried to stop her yawn as she walked through the door into Daniel's apartment. It had been a long day, particularly due to her plane trip and her exhaustion was finally catching up with her. Daniel caught her yawn as he turned. "Tired?" he asked.

"A little." Lara answered. "I'll be fine."

"How about I make you a cup of coffee?"

"That would be fantastic." Lara smiled.

"Great." Daniel said. "Oh, and the spare room is down the corridor, second door on the left."

Lara walked towards the corridor, through the lounge room as Daniel headed to the kitchen. His voice followed her as she moved. "The first door is the bathroom and the one on the right is my bedroom."

Lara smiled as she walked into Daniel's spare room. The bed was neatly made and the room was decorated in soothing tones like the rest of the apartment, but Daniel also seemed to have used it for extra storage space for his books and notes. Even a few relics decorated the room, probably form Daniel's earlier travels.

Placing her bags at the end of the bed, Lara walked out to join Daniel in the kitchen. She found him happily humming away as he put on a fresh cup of coffee. The smell was divine. "Mmm." Lara said as she walked up.

Daniel smiled. "Told you I liked coffee." He said.

"Obsessed was the word you used, I believe." Lara teased.

Daniel shrugged. "Everyone needs an obsession or two."

"I absolutely agree." Lara said with a grin.

Daniel turned back to the coffee machine as it finished and handed Lara a cup. "Hungry?" he asked.

"What have you got?"

He walked to the fridge and peered inside. "Ah…" he said, when he saw the contents. "…takeout?"

Lara caught her own glimpse of the contents over Daniel's shoulder. "Daniel." She said. "I'm shocked. You live on takeout."

When Daniel turned around, looking sheepish, he caught Lara's teasing grin and smiled. "I know. I think I've forgotten how to cook."

Lara laughed. "How about Chinese, then?"

"I'll call." Daniel said.

The pair placed their orders and settled into the lounge with the books, their notes and the artefacts. Lara continued to read about Babylon, hoping to find clues to the city's location. She absently wished for her own library back at the manor, even though Daniel's was probably just as good. She just didn't know it as well as she knew her own. Daniel continued his work on translating the markings on the artefacts.

The pair took a break when the food arrived, with Daniel carefully placing the artefacts back in their case before opening the door. When they were both back on the couch eating their rather late dinner, Lara took a moment to take a long look at Daniel. His hair was sticking up at odd angles because of the way he ran his fingers through it when he was frustrated. His glasses were still perched on his nose, making his eyes seem very blue.

"What?" Daniel asked, and Lara realised she had been staring at him a little to long.

"Nothing." She smiled, looking back at her food.

"What's your favourite book?" Daniel asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

Lara raised an eyebrow. "Fiction or non-fiction?" she asked.

"Fiction." Daniel smiled.

Considering her answer, Lara took another bite of noodles with her chopsticks. "It would have to be The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. And I am partial to the works of William Blake." She said. "And you?"

"Jane Eyre." Daniel said, with a slight blush. "Or the Count of Monte Cristo."

Lara laughed. "Are you telling me, you're a romantic at heart, Dr. Jackson?" she asked.

"Yeah, I guess I am." He said. "Just don't tell Jack, okay?"

"Your secret's safe with me." Lara promised.

Daniel took a mouthful of rice and chewed thoughtfully. "Why William Blake?" he asked.

Lara looked at him and said softly, "My father loved his poems. He used to read them all the time and I guess, they just make me feel closer to him." She left out what had happened with the Illuminati and Triangle of Light, only because it would be too hard to talk about.

"He died when you were young, didn't he?"

"Yes." Lara nodded. "I was eight at the time. Lost but never forgotten."

"My parents died when I was a kid too." Daniel told her. "They were crushed when a stone from their exhibit fell on them."

Lara looked at him. "You never stop missing them, do you?" she said, more of a statement than a question.

"No, you don't." Daniel agreed.

The pair finished their meal in relative silence, each lost in their memories. "You know, I saw my father once, a few years ago." Lara said, suddenly needing to say what was on her mind and knowing that Daniel would understand. "Not as a dream or a memory, but real and standing right in front of me."

Daniel looked as if he wanted to ask how, but wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer. "I once had to watch my parents die over and over again, unable to stop it, thanks to alien technology." He said instead. "It was painful to be sure, but the first time I saw their faces in front of me…I was so happy."

Lara smiled, but it didn't quite chase away the shadows in her eyes. "It seems, Daniel," she said, "that we are very much alike."

"Yeah…" Daniel agreed, but whatever else he was going to say was lost as the apartment's door slammed open.

Instinctively, Lara rolled off the couch, taking Daniel with her, as silenced bullets slammed into the back of the couch from the doorway. She swore softly and in as many languages as she could when she realised she had left her guns in her bags – which were in Daniel's spare room. She didn't think she would need them. Silly her.

Daniel tapped Lara's arm, gaining her attention as their attackers moved further into the apartment. He gestured to the right, towards the kitchen, and began to crawl towards it. Lara followed and the two of them took refuge behind the kitchen counter. Resting his head against the cupboard behind him, Daniel closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Now what?" he asked when he opened them again.

"Weapons." Lara whispered back. "We need weapons."

Spying some knives in a block on the countertop, Lara took a deep breath and carefully peered around the counter at their attackers, to see if she had enough time to jump up and grab the knives. What she saw however, made her swear again. The three black clad and masked intruders had headed straight for the case containing the artefacts are were presently ignoring Daniel and Lara.

"What is it?" Daniel asked in a whisper.

"They're stealing my artefacts!" Lara hissed back.

She made to jump up and attack the thieves, but Daniel yanked her back down. "You'll get yourself shot!" he whispered.

"I have to do something!"

Daniel considered her a moment, before letting go of her arm. "Be careful." He whispered.

Lara nodded and tried to smile reassuringly at him. "Stay down."

Moving into a crouch, Lara peered around the counter again and judged the distance between her and the nearest of the three intruders. Timing carefully, she leapt out and tackled him, knocking the gun from his hands and slamming him into the floor. They tussled for a few minutes, with Lara on top, while his companions yelled out in surprise and uncertainty.

Lara knocked out the intruder and quickly rolled to her feet. Unfortunately, by now the other thieves had recovered. The nearest intruder, who was also of slighter build than the other two, brought his gun up to shoot, but Lara was ready for him. She snapped her booted foot up and around in a tight arc, catching the thief's gun hand before he could fire.

The gun flew out of his hand and landed on the carpet about five feet away. The man didn't bother to go after it, instead throwing a couple of sharp jabs at Lara's head. She blocked easily and retaliated with a punch of her own. The man blocked, and with surprising speed and balance, lashed out with a fast roundhouse kick toward Lara's head. Barely seeing it in time, Lara tried to duck under it and caught a glancing blow to the jaw. It was enough to throw her off balance as the faint taste of blood filled her mouth.

Taking his opportunity, the man tried to grab Lara by twisting her arm behind her back, but Lara still had a few tricks left. She twisted her body away from the man and used her momentum to reverse the hold. Using her free hand, she yanked off the mask, wanting to see his face, but careful to keep pressure on the shoulder joint so he wouldn't get a chance to struggle.

When she yanked of the black mask, Lara was surprised to see long brown hair tumble out. He seemed to actually be a she. Using Lara's momentary hesitation, the woman twisted in her grip and wrenched her body to the side. Lara managed to catch her foot behind the woman's, sending her sprawling. Unfortunately, she landed right near the gun. Lara had a moment of recognition, before she threw herself backwards.

It was Anna Espinosa.

Lara rolled over the countertop and landed heavily on the tiled floor, just beside Daniel. Bullets pierced the air where she had been only seconds before and embedded themselves in the counter. Anna kept Lara and Daniel's position covered as she snapped out orders. "Grab him and the case!" she snapped.

Lara was about to get to her feet, when another volley of bullets hit the other side of the counter. She stayed where she was and hoped Anna wasn't going to come around and finish them off. There was only so much you could do when faced with a gun. But there were only a few scuffling sounds, before the apartment fell silent.

A few minutes later, Lara cautiously around the counter and found the apartment empty. She swore. "They're gone."

Daniel sighed in relief, then swore himself. "They got the artefacts, didn't they?"

"Oh, yes." Lara said.

Frowning, Daniel swore again, before looking at Lara as she crawled into a sitting position. "You're bleeding." He said, noticing her split lip. Her cheekbone was also swelling nicely, so she'd probably have a bruise in the morning.

Lara reached up a hand to touch her lip. "So I am." She said.

"Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine." Lara reassured him. "But what are we going to do now?"

"I'll call Jack." Daniel said.

He got up and walked to the phone. The number he dialled was as familiar as his own and he hoped Jack was still awake. There was a moment of silence on the other end when someone picked up, before a gruff voice muttered, "This had better be important!"

"It is, Jack." Daniel told his friend and colleague.

"Danny?" Jack asked, sounding more alert. "Why are you calling at…one o'clock in the morning? This isn't another crisis, is it?"

"Depends on your point of view." Daniel answered dryly. "I'm calling because Lara and I just had a visit from our friendly Russian spy."

"Anna Espinosa was there?" Jack was wide awake now, and his question had the edge of command to it. You know, the type that demanded an answer.

"Yes." Daniel said, getting right to the point. "She stole the artefacts."

Jack swore loudly. "I'll call the General." He said. "Are you both alright?"

"We're fine." Daniel answered. "Do you want us to go in, or can we handle this in the morning?"

"You and Lara get some sleep." Jack told him. "If there is anyway to get the artefacts back, I'll handle it. But I'd recommend you get to the base a little earlier than usual."

"I'll do that. Thanks, Jack."

"No problem, Danny-boy. It's my job." And with that, Jack hung up.

"Jack's handling it." Daniel said, turning back to Lara. "There's nothing we can do until morning."

Lara nodded. "I tried to jam the door shut." She said, motioning to the door, which she had propped a chair against.

"Thanks." Daniel said.

"It's my fault she came here." Lara told him.

"No, it's not." Daniel told her firmly. "She could have tried at any point to grab the artefacts."

Lara sighed. "True." She said, straightening. "Do you mind if I take the first shower?"

"No." Daniel said with a small smile.

"Thanks." Lara smiled back and went to grab her stuff. "Goodnight, Daniel."

"Goodnight, Lara."

To be continued…


	8. Plans Are Made

**The Hunt for Babylon:**

**By cheekychaos**

Chapter Eight:

"Hey, Daniel." Jack said, coming into Daniel's lab and almost thumping down into a chair beside his friend in exhaustion. "How's it going?"

"It's useless!" Daniel growled in frustration, putting down his book. "I'm just going around in circles! And the translation is no help."

Everyone had been working hard since early that morning. The General was demanding answers, but as of yet, no one had any answers to give. "I know what you mean." Jack said, rubbing a hand through his hair. "I can't find a trace of Espinosa anywhere. It's like she just disappeared. I left better minds to it, but I doubt if Agents Bristow and Vaughn will find anything either."

Daniel sighed. "We can only hope they do." He said, before getting to his feet. "Coffee?"

"Yeah." Jack replied.

As Daniel poured two mugs of coffee, Teal'c entered the lab. "Hey, T." Jack greeted the big man.

"O'Neill." Teal'c replied.

"Oh, hey Teal'c." Daniel said, when he turned around. "Coffee?"

"No thank you, Dr. Jackson." Teal'c said. "I have come to ask if you require any assistance."

"Oh, thanks Teal'c, but, no." Daniel said. "There's nothing more we can do."

It was then Lara strode into the lab, a book in her hand and a frown on her face. This morning, she was wearing her more characteristic outfit of boots, shorts and a black t-shirt, but had left off her guns, as she didn't think they would go down too well in the middle of a military base. "Oh, morning, Colonel." She greeted as she entered. "Teal'c."

Teal'c inclined his head in Lara's direction, as Jack smiled. "Morning, Croft."

Lara and Jack seemed to be getting on better since Jack had learnt what had happened last night. He seemed to have more respect for her now, and Lara gathered it was because she had kept Daniel out of trouble. She was beginning to see that the Colonel would do anything for his team and took every injury personally.

Lara turned to Daniel. "Have you seen my notebook?"

"Umm," Daniel mumbled, searching through the massive pile of books on the table. "Oh, here it is." He said when he found it.

"Thanks." Lara took it and sat down at the table, swinging her booted feet up onto the tabletop as she opened the book.

When Daniel placed a third mug of coffee down, in front of her, she looked up with a grateful smile. "Thanks. Any luck with that translation?"

"Well, depends what you call luck." Daniel said tiredly.

Lara raised an eyebrow. "I see." She said, dryly.

"Have you had no success in translating the inscription, Dr. Jackson?" Teal'c asked.

"Oh, I managed to translate it." Daniel explained. "It just doesn't help us much."

"The Ancients did not do things without a reason." Teal'c said levelly. "There is a purpose for the inscription, Dr. Jackson."

Lara smiled at Teal'c. "I see you're the voice of reason in this little group." She told him.

"Hey!" Jack protested.

Teal'c merely raised an eyebrow, although something in his expression told Lara he was amused at her observation. "Indeed." He agreed.

Lara chuckled softly, before turning back to Daniel. "So, what does it say?" she asked.

"To those who seek what is hidden, knowledge is the treasure at the end of the journey, but the heart is the key that will open the door." Daniel said.

"They mixed their clichés." Jack said in the silence that followed. "You'd think they would be smart enough not to do that."

Daniel sighed. "I'm not even sure if that's right." He said. "I could have translated it in the wrong context, but it makes even less sense that way."

"What do you mean?" Lara asked.

"Well, I could have translated it like this: To those who seek what is not there, knowledge is the fortune at the end of the path, but the heart is the key that will open the course." Daniel answered.

"I tell you, the Ancient's must have got their kicks from confusing people," Jack said. "'Cause, not once has there been an instruction manual."

Daniel groaned, before putting his face in his hands. "Can this day get any worse?" Came his muffled voice.

"Ah! Don't say that!" Jack said. "'Cause when you say that, things always do!"

"Indeed." Teal'c agreed. "I, too, have noticed this phenomenon."

Lara, meanwhile, was frowning as she contemplated her coffee mug. Suddenly, she put it down and snatched up her notebook. Flipping through, she got to a page and read a few lines before looking up with an excited grin. "I've got it!" she said.

"Got what?" Jack asked.

"I know why Arvin Sloane wanted those artefacts." Lara explained. "I always thought they were a map, but that's not quite it."

Daniel stared at her, his eyes narrowed in thought. "I don't understand." He said. "Unless…" he looked up in surprise.

"The stones, when put together, are a transport device to take you to an orbiting ship." Lara said excitedly. "A camouflaged ship programmed to take you to wherever Babylon is."

Jack swore. "We have to tell the General." He said.

"There's more." Lara interrupted. "The inscription means there's a back door."

"Where?" Jack snapped.

"P4X-239." Daniel answered with a grin.

"Exactly." Lara replied.

* * *

"Where do we stand?" Hammond asked, sitting at the head of the conference table and staring at the faces around him.

Jack, Daniel, Teal'c and Lara were sitting around the table, eager to share their news with the General and Sam, Vaughn and Sydney, who had just arrived. "Well," Daniel said. "We might have figured out where Babylon is."

A look of relief passed over Hammond's face. "That's great." He said. "Where is it?"

"P4X-239." Daniel told him.

"P4X-239?" The General repeated. "I thought you only found some old ruins when you visited the planet?"

"We did." Daniel said. "But Lara believes that the path to the city has been hidden. Besides, considering the possible technology of the city, it could have some sort of cloaking device."

"It's definitely possible, sir." Sam agreed with Daniel.

"Unfortunately, that happens to be the good news." Lara said. "I believe I know what the purpose of the stones is."

"What?" Hammond asked suspiciously.

"Well, I believe the stones act as some sort of transportation device leading to a hidden ship in orbit, which would take its passengers to P4x-239." Lara explained.

"What!" the General snapped. "You're telling me that an international terrorist has access not only to Ancient technology, but space travel as well?"

"I'm afraid so." Lara answered. "I'm sorry, General."

Hammond shook his head. "It's not your fault." He said. "Right, I'm moving up the timetable. Colonel, I want your team and Lady Croft to be ready to depart for P4x-239 in an hour. I suggest that Agent Bristow accompany you as well."

"Me?" Sydney echoed.

"You say you're mentioned in a prophecy of this Rambaldi. That could be useful. You also happen to know what Sloane is likely to do." Hammond said. "Be careful, all of you."

"Yes, sir." Jack said.

* * *

Sam stood at her locker and covertly watched the two women near her. The three of them were all in the woman's locker room getting ready for their mission to P4x-239. Lady Croft seemed to be taking the possibility of intergalactic travel better than Agent Bristow – so much so that she had argued with the Colonel about whether she was going to wear an SGC uniform or not. Eventually, they had compromised, so now Lara wore an SGC jacket over her T-shirt and shorts. Sam watched the woman strap two .45 automatics to her thighs and hid a smile. Lady Croft was a tough one, all right.

Agent Bristow, on the other hand, seemed to be hiding a fair amount of disbelief behind those intelligent brown eyes of hers. She struck Sam as a woman who had seen a fair amount of unbelievable things in her life, yet still refused to believe that impossible things could happen. There was also a lot of pain that she hid behind her smile, Sam would bet on that. She was rather like the Colonel in that way.

Like Sydney, Sam was wearing a set of her usual BDU's and quickly began to strap on all her equipment and weapons. "So, do we have any idea where the back door is?" Sam asked her companions.

"No." Lara said with a grin. "But that's part of the adventure."

"How are we going to find it then?" Sydney asked.

"Get me onto the planet and I'll show you." Lara answered.

At Sydney's somewhat sceptical look, she added with a challenging look. "They do leave clues, you know."

Sam looked at Lara curiously. "What kind of clues?" she asked.

Lara raised an eyebrow at Sam. "Surely you've done this sort of thing with Daniel before?" she said.

"Only once or twice." Sam admitted. "Usually he sits down and translates things. Or talks to the local population."

"Well, then." Lara said. "We'll be looking at first for any evidence of previous habitation – inscriptions, statues, ruins and the like."

"Is that all?" Sydney asked.

"Well, sometimes I'm lucky enough to find a large pyramid in the middle of the jungle, but it doesn't always work like that." Lara replied.

Before anyone could say anything else, Jack's muffled voice came through the door, accompanied by a loud knock. "Carter, are you ready yet? It's time to go!"

"Coming, sir!" Sam called back.

"Good." Jack replied. "I'll meet you in the gateroom."

Sam turned back to her companions. "Ready?" she asked.

"Absolutely." Lara replied, an excited gleam in her brown eyes.

Sydney nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be." She said.

"Alright." Sam said. "Let's go."

The three women walked into the gateroom about a minute later, to find Jack, Daniel and Teal'c waiting for them. Daniel smiled when he saw Lara and went over to stand next to the tomb raider. "This is going to be fun." He told her, an excited grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Absolutely." Lara replied. "So, what does it feel like to travel through a wormhole?"

"Cold." Daniel answered. "Like a really cold rollercoaster."

As the two archaeologists were having their quiet conversation, Sydney was staring wearily at the stargate. She felt a little nervous and cynical of the idea, but none of it showed on her face. She hadn't been a spy for years and not picked up a few skills. But she did almost jump in surprise when the inner ring of the stargate began to spin. Sydney let out a quiet breath as the first chevron noisily locked on.

"First chevron encoded." The gate technician said over the PA system.

"You don't have to go, Syd." Vaughn said from behind her.

Sydney turned, a little surprised at not hearing him approach. He must have walked up when she had been so transfixed by the stargate. "Yes I do." She said.

"Why?" Vaughn snapped. "We're not intergalactic explorers, Sydney, we're CIA agents!"

Sydney narrowed her eyes, sick of Vaughn's constant suspicion and resentment of the SGC. "I have to go, Vaughn." She said. "My whole life has been affected by Rambaldi and his stupid prophecy. I need to know what he meant by it."

"Are you so sure the answers are out there, Syd?" Vaughn asked.

"Yes." Sydney replied. "They have to be."

The somewhat tense silence between the two was only broken by the sound of another chevron locking into place. "Chevron four encoded." The technician said.

"Ready to do this?" Lara questioned as she walked up, grinning. "Outer space here we come."

"Technically it's not outer space." Sam said, also coming within earshot. "We'll be on another planet, not actually out in space."

"Details, Carter." Jack said. "Only details."

"It's a rather large detail, sir." Sam replied. "The planet has a mass of…"

"Ah!" Jack interrupted. "You're gonna make my head hurt."

Sam didn't look as if she believed him very much, but refrained from continuing. "Chevron seven locked." The technician said as the wormhole engaged in front of the group.

"All right, kids." Jack said, walking forward. "Let's go."

"Good luck people." Hammond said via the PA system.

Jack turned and gave his CO a slight salute, before continuing up the ramp. Sam was only a step behind him. Shooting Daniel a look, Lara turned to join Sam at the end of the ramp. Grinning, she looked at the rippling event horizon. "See you on the other side!" she called to Daniel, before boldly stepping through.

Laughed, Daniel followed her. Sydney, however, hesitated slightly. "Don't worry." Sam said quietly, still on this side of the wormhole. "It's not as scary as it looks."

"I hope you're right." Sydney said, before she gritted her teeth and stepped through.

Sam smiled, before following, Teal'c a quiet presence at her side.

To be continued…


	9. P4X239

Author's Note: Hey guys, exams are over! Yay! So I should be posting a bit more regularly now. I also want to say thanks to everyone who has reviewed my story. Thanks for the comments and compliments and I hope this next part lives up to your expectations!

Cheeky.

* * *

**The Hunt for Babylon:**

**By cheekychaos**

Chapter Nine:

Lara let out a whoop of excitement as she exited the wormhole. "Let's do that again!" she said as the adrenaline pumped through her blood.

Daniel let out a laugh as he came up behind her, having exited the wormhole about a second after her. "That's what I've been telling them for years!" Jack replied from where he was surveying the surroundings.

"Telling who what, sir?" Sam asked.

"Jack wants to go on another ride." Daniel said dryly.

Sam opened her mouth to say something, but Jack held up a hand. "Don't say it, Carter." He said. "Don't say it."

Hiding a smile, Sam nodded. "Yes, sir." She replied.

"Alright." Jack said, using a more serious tone. "Teal'c, take point. Croft, Daniel, go find the back door." Jack ordered. "Carter, go with them. Bristow, you're with me."

Lara smiled as she heard the choruses of yeses directed at Jack. If there was one thing the military was good at, it was efficiency. Pity Lara never liked following the rules. "What are you smiling about?" Daniel asked as he walked up.

"Oh, nothing really." Lara replied. "Where did you find the ruins?"

"That way." Daniel said, pointing off towards the south-west. "It's about a twenty minute walk. Why?"

"Well, I thought that it would be the best place to start." Lara replied.

"You really think there's something there?" Daniel asked. "I didn't find anything obvious."

Lara shrugged. "If we can't find anything, we'll just go somewhere else."

The walk past fairly quickly, with Daniel and Lara talking in hushed tones about everything they knew on Babylon and Jack quizzing Sydney about Arvin Sloane and his associates. The sun was nice and warm, so by the time Lara got to the ruins she had removed her jacket and could almost believe she hadn't left Earth – but only almost.

"Here we are." Daniel said as Lara gazed at the ruins.

The ruins had obviously once been a beautiful and breathtaking marble temple, but sadly was now a series of slightly crumbling arches surrounding an elaborate altar. Just by looking at it, however, you could tell it had once been an awesome structure and even now it still held a haunting beauty that made you stop and stare.

"Amazing." Lara said reverently.

"It is, isn't it?" Daniel remarked.

Lara walked forward, heading towards the centre of the ruins where the altar stood. The marble altar was covered in a layer of grime, but she could see the intricate designs that decorated its surface. Lara trailed her fingers over it, searching for a clue to the location of the city of Babylon. "Did you manage to translate any of this?" she asked Daniel.

"Some of it, yeah." Daniel answered.

"What does it say?" she asked.

"From what I can tell: the truth is everything." Daniel said dryly.

Lara laughed. "Oh, goody." She said. "Directions."

Sam and Daniel laughed at her sarcastic tone, just as Jack and Sydney walked up. "What's so funny?" Jack asked.

"The normal cryptic nature of the Ancients." Daniel replied.

"Have you found anything yet?"

"Not yet, sir." Sam answered.

Spotting something, Lara crouched down by the altar and stared at a raised series of markings on the side. Struggling to remember what Daniel had told her about the Ancient language, she stared at them. "They're letters!" she grinned when she worked it out.

"What are letters?" Sam asked curiously.

"These markings." Lara said absently, as Daniel crouched down beside her. "They seem to be the alphabet."

"The alphabet?" Daniel mused. "Why would they put the alphabet on a temple altar?"

"Why would they have a temple, anyway?" Sam asked. "I thought you said they weren't religious?"

"They're not." Daniel replied.

Sydney frowned curiously. "Maybe it's a keypad." She said, staring at the symbols.

"Keypad?" Jack echoed. "You mean, like a lock?"

"That's brilliant!" Lara cried.

"How?" Daniel asked.

Lara turned an excited grin on him and he was distracted briefly by her sparkling brown eyes. "This is the backdoor!" she said.

Daniel blinked. "But the translation said the heart is the key." He thought out loud. "Oh, of course! We have to spell it!"

"Spell what?" Jack asked, confused by the random thoughts of the two archaeologists.

"Heart!" Lara said.

Teal'c came up to the group at that point and had a low conversation with Jack. He sighed and nodded. "So type it in already." He told Lara and Daniel. "I want to go home."

Sharing a look with Daniel, Lara reached out and pressed the symbols Daniel indicated were the right ones. For a second nothing happened and Jack opened his mouth to give another sarcastic comment. But he never got the chance, as at that moment, the ground beneath the group gave way and dropped all six of them down into the darkness.

* * *

"Is everyone alright?" Jack called out into the darkness.

"I'm fine, sir." Sam called back.

"As am I." Teal'c answered.

There was a burst of light as Lara lit a flare. "Well, I didn't expect that." She said, sitting up from the dirt she was lying in and rubbing the back of her head.

She looked around and found the others all doing the same thing – except Daniel. "Danny boy?" Jack called. "Anything broken?"

"No." Daniel replied. "But I thought I might just stay here in case the ground decides to drop out from under me again."

Jack chuckled, before walking over and giving him a hand to his feet. "I think we're safe." He said.

Daniel looked at him. "You're just saying that, aren't you?"

"Yep." Jack agreed with a slight grin.

Daniel rolled his eyes, but there was a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he did so. Lara, too, was on her feet and began to walk around the walls of the room the group found themselves in, looking for a way out. Teal'c helped Sam and Sydney to their feet as Sydney looked upwards.

"We can't get back out the way we came in." she remarked.

"Any idea where we are, sir?" Sam asked.

"Don't ask me." Jack answered. "Ask the archaeologists."

"So, any idea where we are Daniel?" Sam asked again.

"Nope." He said, turning to Lara. "You?"

Lara shot him a teasing smile. "Somewhere underground, I think."

"Oh, very funny." Daniel replied.

By now Lara had found a passage leading out of the room and was keeping her eye out for booby traps. This was what she was goo at after all. Sydney stared at Lara, noticing the change the woman went through as she became tenser and more alert. "Is that a way out?" she asked.

"It could be." Lara said. "Probably filled with booby traps though."

"Yeah." Sydney agreed, walking up to look down the passage herself. "I've come across one or two guarding other Rambaldi artefacts, myself."

"Well then," Lara said with an anticipatory grin. "Shall we?"

"Wait for me." Daniel called, walking over.

Lara took a deep breath and started forward. "Here goes." She said.

When nothing happened immediately, Lara motioned for the others to follow her and made sure she kept one eye on the walls. From experience Lara knew that the walls were the most trouble – that's usually where the dart traps, blade traps and squishing usually came from.

Five minutes later, the group trailed into a large room and Lara realised why the passageway hadn't been booby trapped. There wasn't really any need. The room opened up into a large space, that not even Lara's flare could fully illuminate. But that wasn't so much of a problem, because once everyone was through the passage, soft light filled the room.

If you could call it a room. At the end of the small entrance way where they all stood, the room dropped off suddenly into darkness. A little way away there was another patch of floor and another just beyond that. And at the end, Lara could see a small door. With a gate across it. She sighed. This wasn't going to be easy.

Daniel nudged Lara. "There's the door." He said and pointed up.

Above the other door Lara had spotted, she saw another door exactly the same as the other, but this one was on a ledge. Glancing to the side, she saw two ledges that ran upwards, with just enough space for a person to edge along them. But there were gaps in the ledges too. Just beside each of the ledges were two leavers – probably to open the gates. _And probably timed_, Lara realised.

"There are two doors." Teal'c stated from behind the pair.

"Yes." Lara agreed. "And two paths."

"So, which ones the right one to take?" Jack asked.

Lara shot a look at Daniel, who shrugged. "Both, probably." He said.

"Both?" Jack echoed.

Daniel sighed. "Each way will have its own tests and challenges, but they'll both lead to the city." He said. "The Ancients wouldn't leave two doors otherwise."

"Well, then." Jack said. "We split up and each group takes a door. Carter will take one group, I'll take the other."

"Yes, sir." Sam said.

"Is this where we get to pick teams?" Lara asked, amused.

Jack tried to frown, but the amused look in his eye belied his stern expression. "No, I get to pick the teams." He said. "Because I'm the Colonel."

Lara grinned. "Girls against boys?" she teased again.

Jack resisted the urge to rolls his eyes. "I don't think so." He muttered. "Carter, take Teal'c and Croft. Daniel and Bristow can come with me."

"Yes, sir." Carter said.

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Lara added, this time serious instead of teasing. "See the lower door? It has Ancient written all around it and markings on the wall. The upper door doesn't have that."

"What are you suggesting?" Jack asked her.

"I'm thinking that there are themes to the challenges." She said. "One to do with the mind more than the body and the other to do with the body more than the mind."

Jack rubbed his hands over his face. "Nothing's ever simple, is it?"

Lara smiled wryly. "In my experience? No."

"Alright then." Jack sighed. "Daniel, you'd better go with Carter and Croft and take the lower gate. Teal'c, Bristow and I will take the upper one."

Everyone nodded, before looking nervously out at the path to their respective gates. "Oh, one more thing, Colonel." Lara said. "The levers there, will probably open the gates, but they'll be timed, so you'll have to hurry."

"Great." Jack muttered. "Just what I needed to hear!"

Lara walked over to Daniel and Sam. Sam looked at her. "You've got the most experience with this, what do we do?"

Taking a deep breath, Lara looked out over the first chasm and gauged the distance. The next platform over seemed to be a little lower than this one, so if they each took a running jump they could probably make it. The next platform seemed to be a step or so lower as well, so it might just work.

"Are you any good at jumping?" she asked her companions.

"Jump over that?" Daniel asked.

Lara nodded. "If we run at it, it should be easy enough. Each of the platforms is a little lower than the one before it, so it's easier than it looks."

"You've done this sort of thing before, right?" Daniel asked nervously.

"Yes." Lara said, reassuringly. "I have. You can do it Daniel."

"Okay." He said as he let out a breath. "Let's do this."

"And you, Sam?" Lara asked. "Do you think you can manage it?"

Sam nodded. "If I can survive basic training and years of fighting the Goa'uld, I can do anything." She said.

"Good." Lara said. "Get ready for this, because as soon as I pull that leaver, you'll have to start running and not stop until you get past that gate."

Sam and Daniel nodded, as Lara walked over to where Jack was standing near the leavers. While Lara had been advising her companions of the best route, Jack had been doing the same thing with Teal'c and Sydney. "Any ideas?" he has asked.

"This thing is supposed to be done fast, right?" Sydney had asked.

"Seems to be." Jack replied.

Sydney let out a breath and stared at the narrow ledges. "Great." She said.

"Did Lara Croft not say that this would be more of a physical challenge?" Teal'c asked.

"Yeah." Jack answered. "You got an idea, T?"

"Perhaps." Teal'c answered. "There seem to be bars on the ceiling."

Jack looked up. "Well, I'll be damned." He muttered. "So there are!"

"If we get up onto that first ledge, we should be able to reach them." Sydney said.

"Reckon you can swing them fast enough?" Jack asked her.

Sydney gave him a slightly cocky grin. "I'm a CIA agent." She said. "I can do them as fast as you."

"Great." Jack replied mildly.

Moving to the leavers, he had waited for Lara to approach. "Any idea which leaver is which?" he asked.

"Sorry, no." Lara answered.

"Oh, well." Jack shrugged. "Guess we each pull one on the count of three then."

"Sounds like a plan." Lara agreed.

They each moved to a leaver. "Get ready kids." Jack called out. "On the count of three: one…two…three!"

On three, Lara yanked the leaver and was conscious of Jack doing exactly the same thing at the other leaver. Not bothering to see which gate opened, as she knew both of them would be opening anyway, Lara ran forward and steeled herself for the leap ahead. In front of her, Daniel and Sam had just reached the edge.

Both of them sailed through the air and landed on the opposite platform, with Sam's military training sending her just a little bit further than Daniel. Lara was only a second behind them. She leaped and after a brief sensation of flying through the air, landed heavily on the next platform. She ignored the pain that shot briefly up her legs at the rough landing and sprinted forward.

Reaching the next chasm, Lara leaped again and landed on the third platform. Pushing forward as fast as she could go, Lara leapt again, landing at the same time Sam did. _Hmm, practicing does pay off_, she reflected briefly, happy that she was just as good as a highly trained military officer. Daniel was only a step behind them.

Sam sprinted forward through the gap where the gate had been and shoved open the door, just as Lara heard an ominous crumbling sound behind her. Whipping around, she caught a glimpse of Daniel toppling backwards as the stones beneath his feet crumbled, before she threw herself forward.

Skidding to the edge, Lara ended up on her stomach half over the edge herself, her hand just catching onto Daniel's wrist. She caught the look of fear in his blue eyes as she yanked him upwards with all his strength. Heaving him up onto the platform, Daniel helping after a shocked moment, Lara shoved him towards the gate – which was beginning to tremble, a sure sign it was about to shut and time had almost run out.

"Go!" Lara yelled to him.

Daniel stumbled forward, just as Sam reached out and yanked him past the doorway. Lara scrambled to her feet and rolled forwards, just getting under the gate as it slammed down. She lay on the ground for a minute, panting, and felt Daniel sink to the ground beside her.

"Thanks." He said.

"No thanks needed." Lara replied. "You okay?"

Daniel paused for a moment. "I think so." He said.

Sitting up, Lara put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure?" she asked, concerned.

"Yeah." Daniel said, more firmly this time. "It's a hell of a rush, isn't it?"

Lara laughed as Sam helped her and Daniel to their feet. "Oh, yeah." She agreed.

Glancing at both of her companions, Sam smiled. "Come on." She said. "It's not over yet, and you'll never guess what we've got to get through next."

At the same time as Lara, Sam and Daniel had been leaping over deep chasms, Jack, Sydney and Teal'c had been hastening along their own path to the second gate. On the count of one, Teal'c had climbed onto the ledge and pulled Sydney up after him. By the count of three he was already swinging his way across the bars on the ceiling and over the chasms below him.

His superior strength made things easy and he made it to the ledge and the door without breaking into much of a sweat. Once he had dropped onto the final ledge, he had turned to look out over the room and watch Sydney and Jack's progress. Despite the fact that she wasn't as strong as Teal'c, Sydney was racing across the bars without much difficulty. She was beginning to sweat a little though and told herself not to look down.

Jack was only a few seconds behind her, so when she suddenly slipped on one of the bars, he was close enough to catch her arm. Quickly, he helped her regain her grip and continue on. She didn't stop to thank him until the pair had dropped to the final ledge and run through the gate, seconds before it slammed down.

"Thanks for that." She told him, panting a little and shaking her arms.

"No problem." Jack told her, before grinning. "You do that as if you've done that before."

"Oh, yeah." Sydney agreed dryly. "Sometime I think that the CIA thinks I'm a monkey or something. Every second mission they tell me to hang from something."

Jack laughed softly, before turning to Teal'c. "So, T, what's next?" he asked.

"I believe, O'Neill," Teal'c replied, "that you should see for yourself."

To Be Continued…


	10. Challenges of the Mind

Author's Note: Sorry this took so long, but I got stuck for ideas! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, it was great to hear what you thought!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Cheeky.

* * *

**The Hunt for Babylon:**

**By cheekychaos**

Chapter Ten:

Lara looked around the room, gazing at all the Ancient runes covering the walls. "Wow." She said.

"Impressive." Daniel agreed.

"But what does it mean?" Sam asked.

Lara flashed Sam an amused grin. "Why don't we find out?" she replied, walking into the room.

Daniel followed, his eyes roving the walls for clues. Sam looked instead to the barred doorway opposite the entrance. "Well, we know which way is out." She said. "But how do we open the gate?"

"That's the challenge, I imagine." Lara said from where she stood gazing at the left wall.

Daniel sighed. "And I suppose the answer would be somewhere in these runes, wouldn't it?" His tone made his words sound more like a statement than a question.

"Of course." Lara told him, her voice mixed with both amusement and frustration.

Sam walked over to the gate blocking the way out and examined it. The bars were firmly pressed into the rock at both the top and bottom of the gates. She supposed she could use C4 to blow through it easily enough, but knowing their luck with the Ancient's, it wouldn't work out the way they planned. She had to spare a smile though, when she thought of what the Colonel would say if he were here.

Sam was about to turn back to the two archaeologists, who were now muttering to each other in low voices and staring at a notebook, when something caught her eye. On either side of the door was a series of four buttons, each with a surrounding message of runes. Frustrated that she couldn't read Ancient and therefore, didn't know what the said, Sam wondered if this was a variation on the keypad puzzle they had seen earlier.

"Um, Daniel, you should see this." She called out.

Daniel walked over, Lara close on his heels. "See what?" he asked, pushing his glasses back up his nose.

"These buttons." Sam said indicating either side of the door.

"What does it say?" Lara asked as Daniel walked forward, his gaze intent on the runes surrounding the buttons.

"We have to press the buttons in the correct order to open the gate." He said.

"Like a code?" Sam asked.

"Almost." Daniel explained. "See the symbols on the buttons? They match the symbols on each of the left and right walls."

Sam glanced at the walls and spotted what Daniel had before. "Yeah, I see." She replied. "So we just punch these in the order that they appear on the walls? That seems a little easy."

"I'll say." Lara agreed.

"Actually, it's a riddle." Daniel said. "Each of the symbols is next to a fragment of runes which tell a story. I think we need to put the story in order, and then we'll have the right series of symbols."

"Oh." Sam said. "Can you read them?"

Daniel grinned. "Yeah." He replied cheerfully. "But better than that, I recognize the story."

"Great." Sam smiled in relief.

"Need any help?" Lara asked.

"Um, not right now." Daniel said. "It's probably easier if I translate this on my own for now."

Lara nodded. "Fair enough." She said. "But if you do need help, just give me a yell."

"Okay." Daniel replied, already studying his notebook thoroughly.

Lara watched him for a moment, smiling softly to herself, before walking over to where Sam stood. Sam smiled slightly herself, as she noticed Lara's behaviour and couldn't help but tease her a little. "Like what you see?" she asked softly.

Lara looked surprised for a moment, before raising an eyebrow at Sam. "Yes, I do." She said bluntly.

Sam smiled. "You don't dance around, do you?"

"No." Lara agreed. "I've learnt that life is too short."

Sam shot Daniel a glance, but he was still engrossed in the translation. "Does Daniel know?" she asked, amused.

"You mean, that I like him?" Lara asked, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Sam laughed. "Aside from sounding a bit like junior high, yeah." She said.

"Well, I like to think he has some idea," Lara said. "But I was going to wait, as having a date in the middle of an intergalactic mission might be frowned upon."

Sam chuckled. "Sadly, that's true. Although some of us have tried."

Lara looked at her, as if to judge how serious she was, before letting out a loud laugh. "I forgot what it was like to be surrounded by a large bunch of cocky soldiers and pilots." She said. "Particularly as a woman."

Curious, Sam raised an eyebrow. "You've been surrounded by cocky pilots and soldiers before?"

"Oh, yes." Lara answered. "I was lucky enough to train with a few of them in return for a favour."

Sam nodded and smiled. "Well, you think that was bad? Try grouping the best of the best all together and then send them to other planets with pretty women on them." She said dryly.

Lara chuckled. "Let me guess? They acted like little boys in a candy store?"

"You have no idea." Sam replied dryly.

Lara looked as if she was about to reply when Daniel cleared his throat and walked over. "Okay, I think I've got it."

"Right." Lara said, getting her mind back on business.

"What do you need us to do, Daniel?" Sam asked.

"Um, punch in symbols, if you could." Daniel said. "If each one of you takes a side of the door, I'll read out the eight symbols in order."

"No problem." Lara said.

A moment later, the women had punched in the required symbols and were waiting breathlessly for the gate to open. A loud grumble passed through the room and Daniel let out a sigh of relief. Slowly, the bars disappeared into the floor and ceiling, revealing the way out.

"Brilliant." Lara said. "Let's go!"

The trio quickly walked through the door in front of them and into the room beyond. In contrast to the previous room, this one was bare with no writing on the walls. Instead a table sat in the middle of the room. Sam noticed a similar door and gate to the last room blocking the way out.

"So what's the challenge to solve in here?" she asked her two companions.

Daniel shrugged. "I don't know." He said.

Lara walked over to the table, as Sam went to examine the exit again. "No buttons or anything." She called.

"There's no need." Lara called back.

"What do you mean?" Daniel asked, walking over to stand behind her as Sam did the same.

The trio all looked at the table in front of them. "Oh." Daniel said.

Lara nodded. "It's a variant of chess, from what I can tell." She said. "Or at least its close enough."

"So to open the gate we have to check mate their king?" Sam guessed.

"Yes." Lara said. "I think."

"You think?" Daniel echoed, more amused than annoyed.

Lara shot him a sidelong glance. "Well, there are no guarantees for this sort of thing." She said.

Daniel tried to hide a smile. "Think you can manage it?" he asked.

"No problem." Lara replied.

Daniel and Sam walked around to stand at the side of the table, watching curiously as Lara reached out and moved a white game piece. Seemingly of its own accord, a black piece moved in retaliation. After watching for another minute or so, Daniel and Sam began to see the patterns that made up the game.

"She's good, isn't she?" Daniel asked Sam, a little absently as he watched the game.

Sam tried to hide a smile at her friends tone. "Yes, she is." She agreed.

Unfortunately, Daniel knew her too well and caught his friend's amusement. "What?" he said.

"Nothing." Sam gave him an innocent look – one that reminded Daniel of Jack at his most devious.

"You've been hanging around Jack too much." Daniel said. "There's nothing going on between me and Lady Croft."

"Not yet." Sam agreed.

"What do you mean by that?" Daniel asked.

"She means that as soon as I can get you back to Earth, I'm going to have my wicked way with you." Lara said, from where she was still moving pieces around the board.

Daniel blinked and then blushed. Sam chuckled. "Always straight to the point." She said.

Lara winked at her. "Always." She agreed.

Daniel opened and shut his mouth a few times before he found something to say. "Have your wicked way with me?" he repeated, a little dumbstruck.

Lara looked at him, her face serious. "Yes." She said.

Daniel smiled a little shyly. "Okay." He said.

Sam burst out into laughter. "Oh, the Colonel's going to be sorry he missed this!" she cried.

Lara, meanwhile, forced herself to break Daniel's gaze and focus back on the task at hand. She had to finish the challenge and find the lost city of Babylon, and she could do that if she was distracted. Narrowing her eyes, she moved another piece and felt a shot of elation run through her, when the black piece moved just where she wanted it to.

"Check mate." She said, moving her final piece.

The piece on the board, shimmered for a moment, before returning to their starting positions. Lara frowned a little, not sure what to expect, when the sound of grinding reached her ears. The gate was opening!

Grinning, she turned to look and found Sam already striding purposefully towards the opening. "Well done." Daniel said in her ear, causing a shiver to go down her spine.

Lara turned a little and found herself looking into his amused blue eyes. "Thank you." She said.

"Are you guys coming?" Sam called, breaking whatever it was that was keeping Daniel and Lara spellbound.

"Yeah!" Daniel called back, before the pair hurried over to where Sam was standing just inside the next room.

In this one, runes once again decorated the walls, but this time they looked different from before and there were gaps in between some of them. "Another story puzzle?" Lara asked.

"I don't think so." Daniel replied. "These symbols don't really appear to be letters or words."

Frowning, Sam walked forward until she was inches away from the wall. Running her fingers over the symbols, she wondered why she had such a sense of familiarity when she looked at them. Something nagged at her, but she couldn't figure out what it was.

"There are definite patterns." Lara observed, still studying the wall. "Are you sure this isn't some sort of dialect, Daniel?"

"Nothing I've ever come across." Daniel answered. "And the patterns are wrong for words. They don't flow right."

Sam blinked, suddenly realising what she was looking at. "Mathematics!" she cried excitedly. "The symbols aren't letters, they're numbers!"

"Of course!" Lara grinned.

"That works." Daniel agreed. "Any idea what they want us to do?"

"I'm not sure." Sam said, stepping close enough to the wall to trail her fingers over the symbols. "But there is something that's nagging me about them. Something familiar."

"Something you've come across before?" Lara asked.

"Yeah." Sam agreed. Then she blinked. And gaped. Suddenly she knew what she was looking at. "It's wormhole theory." She whispered.

"Wormhole theory?" Lara repeated. "O'Neill's right, they are way smarter than us."

She said the last in an attempted American accent and Daniel grinned at her. "Oh, yeah." He agreed. "But I'm still not sure they're smarter than Sam."

Sam blushed slightly, as she turned back to her companions. "There are gaps in the equation that I think we're supposed to fill in."

Lara and Daniel both nodded, before Sam turned back to consider the wall. Daniel rolled his shoulders a little, as if they were a little sore, and sat down on the paved ground. "Are your shoulders sore?" Lara asked as she sat down beside him.

"Just the left one." Daniel said. "I probably jerked it when you grabbed me."

Nodding, Lara shifted herself a little, until she was sitting half behind Daniel. "Sorry about that." She said softly, as her deft finders massaged the sore muscle.

Daniel blinked in surprise. "You saved my life!" He said. "You really don't need to apologise."

"I'm still sorry I hurt you." She replied softly.

"I'll heal." Daniel told her, turning so that he faced her. "I've hurt myself worse before. Just ask anyone in the infirmary."

The pair sat that way for a moment, before Lara blinked a few times and glanced away from Daniel's intent stare. "How does the shoulder feel now?" she asked.

Daniel rolled it experimentally. "Better." He said. "Thanks."

"No problem." Lara replied, before moving to stand.

Daniel grabbed her hand, stopping her and opened his mouth to say something, when a familiar grinding noise echoed out over the room. They both glanced over to see the gate was open and Sam was standing there with an amused smile on her face. "Later." Daniel whispered to Lara, before standing up and offering her his hand.

"Sorry to interrupt." Sam told them both. She grinned when neither of them met her eyes, but instead focused on the open door.

Walking through, the trio was surprised to find an almost empty room that contained only a lever in the centre of the floor and a set of wide ornate doors in the opposite wall. "What's with the lever?" Sam asked.

Lara sighed. "It needs to be pulled to open the doors." She explained.

"But?" Daniel said, judging by her sigh that there was more to the problem than that.

"My guess would be that the Colonel is going to find a similar room at the end of his path and that the two levers will have to be pulled at the same time." Lara said.

Sam shook her head. "They really didn't want anyone getting in, did they?"

Daniel smiled, although it was a little wryly. "I think it was more of a case of judging if you were worthy to get in, than actually stopping you."

"Well there's a comforting thought." Lara said dryly.

Reaching for her radio, Sam wondered how her CO was fairing with his tasks. "Sir?" she said. "Are you there?"

The radio crackled for a minute, before Jack's familiar voice drawled out an answer. "Yeah, I'm here." He said. "What is it, Carter?"

"Sir, we've found another lever like the one that opened the doors." Sam explained quickly.

There was another moment of static, before Jack dryly replied. "And it needs to be pulled at the same time as ours?"

"Yes, sir." Sam answered.

"Alright." Jack replied. "We're almost there. Give us a minute to get into position."

"Yes, sir." Sam said again.

About a minute later, Jack's voice echoed out from the radio once again. "Okay, on the count of three." He ordered. "1…2…3!"

Daniel, who had been standing next to the lever, pulled it as Jack said "3". Another grinding noise echoed around the room, before the doors opposite the trio swung open with a loud groan. Grinning in triumph, Sam, Daniel and Lara walked out into the sunshine beyond.

When the trio caught sight of the scene outside, they stopped and stared. They found themselves standing in a paved square, on the lower platform of a pyramid shaped building. Around them was a large city built of glimmering stone. Gardens could be seen everywhere and they filled the air with the scent of wildflowers. Above them, the sky shimmered with an occasional white tinge, as if there was something between them and the sky.

"Wow!" Daniel breathed, his heart pounding in excitement.

"Amazing." Sam agreed, still unable to entirely believe what she was seeing.

Lara took a step forward. "Welcome to Babylon." She said with a large grin.

To be continued…


	11. Challenges of the Body

**The Hunt for Babylon:**

**By cheekychaos**

Chapter Eleven:

Jack walked into the room beyond, before stopping in surprise. This had not been what he expected. The room was a large, empty space with a mosaic floor and a barred doorway on the distant wall. The walls of the room were ornately carved, rather similar to the pyramid Jack had been in, in Brazil, and gave the impression of being in a large entrance hall.

"Well, I like what they've done with the place." Jack quipped dryly.

Sydney stepped up beside him and looked around in wary amusement. "Any idea what the challenge is?" she asked.

"Nope." Jack said, sounding almost cheerful. "You?"

"No." Sydney answered with a smile.

"Oh, good." Jack replied sarcastically. "Where's Daniel and Carter when you need them?"

"I believe you ordered them to take the other path, O'Neill." Teal'c said levelly.

"Yeah." Jack said, before shaking his head in a combination of frustration and resignation. He doubted his Jaffa friend would ever get the concept of a rhetorical question.

Sydney glanced between the two men, knowing Jack had meant the last comment in a rhetorical sense. Then she caught a quirk in Teal'c's eyebrow and realised that, in his own way, the big man was teasing the Colonel.

"So, what's the plan?" Sydney asked.

"I think we should go and have a look at the way out." Jack said. "Maybe we'll be lucky enough to get the answering machine."

"The answering machine?" Sydney asked, confused.

Jack turned to look at her. "You know, a holographic image designed to tell us what we need to know." He explained.

"Oh." Sydney said. "They do that?"

Jack gave her a wry grin. "Not exactly." He said. "The messages are usually so obscure and complicated that I have to get Danny to translate them."

Sydney smiled in return. "Are you sure you want to find the answering machine, then?"

Jack grinned and shook his head ruefully. "Maybe not." He replied. Now, shall we?"

As he made to step forward, Teal'c stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "I think that is unwise, O'Neill." He said.

"Booby traps?" Jack asked him.

"I believe so." Teal'c answered, indicating numerous indentations in the carved walls.

"Oh, perfect." Jack muttered.

Sydney let out a sigh. "How do we get past them?" she asked.

Jack shrugged. "Run?" he quipped.

"Perhaps we should first investigate the nature of these traps." Teal'c suggested.

Jack turned to him. "How?" his tone was all business now, the humorous teasing gone.

"Of that, I am unsure." Teal'c said. "But the traps may be triggered by movement."

"Or weight." Sydney added helpfully.

Jack looked at her and raised an eyebrow. Sydney blushed slightly and shrugged. "I watch too much TV." She said.

Smiling softly, Jack looked around him to see if there was anything he could use. Spying a few loose stones near the entrance, he walked over and picked them up. Then Jack turned back to the room and glanced around. Noting the placement of several niches in the walls as well as a few distinctive floor tiles, he carefully aimed and threw each of the stones.

When one of the stones hit one of the distinctive floor tiles, a loud groaning sounded and about two seconds later, a large section on the ceiling slammed downward onto the spot where the stone had hit. The loud slamming noise and sudden movement caused both Jack and Sydney to leap backwards slightly in surprise, and even Teal'c looked a little uneasy.

When another of the stones flew past the indentations in the walls, several large, sharp-looking blades flew out of the holes and sped through the air. There was maybe a gap of about a second or two before the blades were released, and they flew through the air with alarming speed. The blades finally came to a stop when they slammed into the opposite wall and clattered to the floor.

"Peachy." Jack said. "Just peachy."

"Woah." Sydney muttered. "This is going to be interesting."

Jack sighed and turned to Teal'c. "Any idea how to open the gate?" he asked his big friend.

"I believe there is a lever on the wall beside the exit." Teal'c stated levelly.

"Hmph." Jack grunted in surprise and amusement. "So there is."

"If we avoid the funny floor tiles and run like hell, we should be able to make it." Sydney observed. "But we'd all have to run at the same time."

"Unless that lever turns off the traps when it's pulled." Jack mused. "What do you think, T?"

"It is possible, O'Neill." Teal'c replied.

"Bristow?"

"Can't think of why it wouldn't." Sydney told him.

Jack sighed again. "Alright, you two stay here." He ordered. "I'll head for the lever."

Teal'c inclined his head, but Sydney opened her mouth to argue – only to be silenced by Jack's stubborn and reproachful look. "Sure." She agreed instead.

Straightening his shoulders, Jack looked out over the large room and the now silent traps. "Here goes." He muttered to himself.

He took off in a sprint, shooting past the niches in the wall. Behind him, he heard the hiss and click as blades shot out of the wall, barley missing him, and slammed into the wall on the opposite side of the room. Not letting his step falter, because of the consequences, Jack kept one eye on the floor, so he could avoid the booby trapped tiles.

Suddenly, a section of the left hand wall seemed to break away from the rest of the wall and sped towards Jack. He threw himself forward and away from the large blade that had swung out of the wall. The swinging blade barely missed him as he stumbled forward. Unfortunately, the sudden appearance of the blade and his subsequent dodging motion, had jerked Jack off balance and he stepped on one of the distinctive floor tiles.

Knowing exactly what was about to happen, Jack put on a burst of speed to avoid both the blades still darting from the walls and the part of the ceiling that was about to slam downwards. The loud noise of the impact shocked him for a split second, but he forced himself to keep moving. He couldn't afford to stop.

Jack dodged two more large swinging blade that detached themselves from the walls as he passed, sprinting the whole length of the room. He was glad he had spent time recently trying to improve his fitness, because he sure needed it now. After what felt like an eternity of dodging traps to Jack, he broke free and almost skidded into the gate surrounding the way out. Stopping, he stood panting for a moment as he caught his breath, before walking over and pulling the lever.

Abruptly, a loud grinding noise echoed over the room and the traps stopped. The gate blocking the exit also moved, clearing the path forward. Grinning in triumph, Jack turned to look back to where Sydney and Teal'c still stood. "Come on!" he called. "The door's open!"

The pair quickly jogged over to meet him, before the trio all walked into the room beyond. The room beyond was just as large as the room before, with the same paved floor, just minus the booby trapped tiles this time. Along the walls, however, were two rows of warrior statues holding spears and swords, interspersed with torches that lit the room with flickering golden light.

"Okay, that's a little freaky." Sydney said.

"What? The statues?" Jack asked.

"No." Sydney replied. "The way those torches are lit. As if we were expected."

Jack smiled a little and shook his head. "It's not like we're trying to sneak in." he said.

Sydney just shot him an annoyed look and turned back to frowning at the statues and torches. Teal'c moved forward, as if to go and examine the statues a little closer. Suddenly, the two nearest statues began to move with short, jerky movements.

"Woah!" Jack said, bringing up his gun when he saw the movement. "Now, that's freaky!"

The statue closest to Teal'c stepped forward and swung his sword at his head. Teal'c, who had gone tense and alert at the first sign of movement, used his staff weapon to block the blow. Then he swung the bottom downwards, before reversing the movement and hit the statue in the knee and head. Bits of stone crumbled off the statues, but it kept coming.

By now, not only was the other statue moving, but all the others were showing signs of waking up. "This is not good." Jack muttered, shooting the nearest statues rapidly in the chest.

Sydney had also taken out her gun when she saw movement, and fired at one of the other statues that were just beginning to step forward. It took six shots to the chest, before the statue crumbled and fell. "Any ideas?" she snapped to Jack, as she shot at another.

Teal'c sent a blast of his staff towards one of the statues, having dispatched the first one who had attacked him. "Continuing to fight them like this would be unwise." He agreed, punctuating his statement with another shot.

Thinking rapidly, even as he attacked, Jack searched for an answer. "The lever!" he yelled, a plan forming in his mind. "If we pull it, the statues will stop, just like the traps!"

"You mean, the lever on the other side of those attacking statues?" Sydney called back, rather sarcastically, as she reloaded her gun with quick and efficient movements.

"Yeah." Jack replied, almost wishing Carter were here. Then all he would have been answered with would have been a crisp "Yes, sir!" and a lot of ass kicking as she followed his orders. "First gap you see, Bristow, run for it!"

Sydney shot another statue, before swinging out and kicking another with two well placed round-house kicks when she ran out of bullets. "Got it!" she called back.

Ducking under a sword, Sydney slammed the new clip home into her gun and came up firing. Seeing a small gap in between the advancing statues, she took it. Sprinting forward, Sydney fired to the left and right at the statues, but never stopped. Her movements were fluid and practiced, as she had done this many times before on missions – just not against walking statues on another planet.

Skidding to a halt at the lever, she reached out and yanked it. Once again, another loud grinding noise echoed out over the room and the gate barring the doorway froward opened. Then there was a louder cracking noise, and all the statues suddenly crumbled to the floor.

Shaking dust and stone from his face and clothes, Jack looked to Sydney. "Nice timing." He said. "Thanks."

"No problem." Sydney replied.

This time when the three of them entered the doorway and the room beyond, they were far more cautious. Jack and Teal'c still had there weapons out and all three gazed warily and alertly about them. Once again the room was large and paved, but unlike the previous two, was completely empty.

"This doesn't seem to be a good sign." Jack observed.

"Indeed." Teal'c agreed.

Sydney carefully stepped forward, further into the room, before leaping back in surprise. The floor where she had just put her foot crumbled and fell, revealing a dark hole. As she watched in amazement, like Teal'c and Jack behind her, a loud noise sounded and most of the floor just caved inwards, leaving only a few sections of seemingly stable ground.

Sighing, Sydney looked over what was left of the floor. "I think we just found the challenge." She remarked.

"Yeah." Jack said. "Think if we pull the lever, the floor will rebuild itself?"

Sydney chuckled shortly. "After seeing statues come to life, I wouldn't be surprised at that." She said dryly.

Jack grinned and turned to her. "I know. This gate travel stuff is fun, isn't it?"

Unable to stop an answering grin appearing on her face, Sydney shook her head at Jack's excitement and amusement. He really did seem to love this sort of thing, and Sydney had to admit that she didn't mind it so much either. "It definitely grows on you." She replied.

"So what are we going to do?" Jack asked.

Considering what was left after the floor caved in, Sydney saw the path that they were supposed to take. "How about I attempt to cross and pull the lever?" she asked. "Back at the CIA, I did a lot of training in this sort of thing. Apparently, the best surveillance always comes when you're hanging upside down six feet up in the air from a tiny rope."

Jack laughed at her words. "That's why you should join the Air Force." Jack teased. "At least they give you planes then."

Sydney smiled. "I'll take your word for it." She said.

"Sure you can do this?" Jack asked after a small pause, indicating the gaping chasm in front of them.

"Yeah." Sydney nodded. "Sure."

Walking to the end of the stable floor on this side of the room, Sydney stopped and eyed the next piece. It seemed close enough to jump to, but just in case, she backed up a little and gave herself a run up. Leaping when she reached the end, Sydney sailed through the air and landed on the next piece of floor.

Then to her horror, she felt the floor beneath her feet begin to move. She ran to the end as the block of stone began to slide forward, jumping forward on the next piece at the last minute. Somewhat shakily, she kept moving forward, wary to the floor beneath her feet this time.

Jack had noticed the floor slide forward under Sydney's feet and admired the woman's quick thinking and agility. He had been a little resistant to taking a spook with them to find Babylon, but he was beginning to rethink his opinion. While he couldn't stand having a man like Agent Vaughn on his team, Jack admired the way Sydney had handled herself so far and thought she'd make a good addition to the SGC if she ever got bored of the CIA.

As he watched her take another leap, Jack heard his radio crackle. "Sir?" came Carter's voice. "Are you there?"

Distracted for a moment as Sydney scrabbled for balance as another piece of floor slid sideways as she landed on it, Jack watched until he was sure Sydney was reasonably safe again. "Yeah, I'm here." He drawled in reply to his 2IC. "What is it, Carter?"

"Sir, we've found another lever like the one that opened the doors." Sam explained quickly.

Jack rolled his eyes, but made sure to keep an eye on Sydney's progress. "And it needs to be pulled at the same time as ours?"

"Yes, sir." Sam answered.

"Alright." Jack replied. "We're almost there. Give us a minute to get into position."

"Yes, sir." Sam said again.

By now, Sydney was not that far from the room's exit and the lever that would open the gate and hopefully rebuild the floor. She ran forward a few steps, before hoping across several small pieces of floor. Keeping moving to make it easier, she tried to keep her balance as she crossed the pieces, some of which were barely bigger than her boot.

Finally, she leaped forward and landed on the stable ground around the exit. She pulled the lever and turned to see what was happening. The familiar grinding noise echoed out over the room, but instead of the floor magically rebuilding, a bridge slide out from one side of the floor until it reached the other side.

"That was rather disappointing." Jack remarked when he and Teal'c joined her.

"Yeah." Sydney agreed. "I know."

They all walked through the exit doorway and Sydney and Teal'c surprised to find themselves in an almost empty room that contained only a lever in the centre of the floor and a set of wide ornate doors in the opposite wall. Jack, at least, had somewhat expected this from Sam's explanation of the lever.

He walked over to the lever and laid a hand on it. "This needs to be pulled at the same time as the one Carter, Danny and Croft found." He explained to the others. Reaching for his radio, he spoke again. "Okay, on the count of three." He ordered. "1…2…3!"

Jack pulled the lever as he said "3". Another grinding noise echoed around the room, before the doors opposite the trio swung open with a loud groan. "Yes!" Jack said. "We're finally out of here!" Grinning in triumph, Jack, Sydney and Teal'c walked out into the sunshine beyond.

When the trio caught sight of the scene outside, they stopped and stared. They found themselves standing on an elegant balcony, just above the lower platform of a pyramid shaped building. Around them was a large city built of glimmering stone. Gardens could be seen everywhere and they filled the air with the scent of wildflowers. Above them, the sky shimmered with an occasional white tinge, as if there was something between them and the sky.

"Nice!" Jack exclaimed when he caught sight of the city. "This is what I'm talking about!"

"Definitely wow." Sydney agreed. "I can't believe I'm actually standing in an alien city!"

"It is indeed beautiful." Teal'c remarked.

Jack walked to the edge of the balcony and leaned against the railing, trying to take everything in. Catching sight of three familiar figures standing in amazement below them, Jack turned and headed towards the stairs he had spotted along the side of the balcony. "Come on, I found Carter." He said.

To be continued…

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry for splitting up the challenges like this, but the both seemed a little big to post as one whole chapter! Hope you like them.

Happy New Year to everyone!

Cheeky.


	12. Inside Babylon

**The Hunt for Babylon:**

**By cheekychaos**

Chapter Twelve:

"Sir." Carter greeted as Jack, Teal'c and Sydney walked up.

"Carter." Jack replied.

"Did you see any sign of Sloane?" Sydney asked.

"No." Sam replied.

Sydney sighed. "Didn't think so."

"Where to next?" Jack asked, looking between Sydney and the two archaeologists.

"My guess?" Sydney answered. "The central tower. It has the symbol of Rambaldi stamped onto it."

Lara nodded in agreement. "From my readings, that's supposed to be the main temple where the 'portal to the Gods' is kept."

"Right." Jack said. "Let's go then."

The group headed off, with Sam and Jack in the lead, guns held in front of them, and Teal'c and Sydney took up the rear. Lara and Daniel also kept their hands near their guns, but their attention was fixed on the awesome city around them and not on the potential danger of Sloane and his mercenaries. The archaeologists in them couldn't hep but be amazed at the significance of the city.

Everyone reached the base of the central tower without incident. Before them, a large and broad staircase stretched upwards and disappeared into a big ornate doorway. The doorway was set into a pyramid shaped building which sat atop the stairs. The symbol of Rambaldi was carved above the doorway, large and impressive.

"Do you think Sloane knows we're here?" Jack asked Sam.

"There's no telling, sir." Sam replied. "An Ancient city like this would definitely have some sort of surveillance system – but whether Sloane has found the control centre and has any idea on how to use it is another matter."

Jack nodded thoughtfully. "Well, then, you and I had better check out this control centre." He said. "Daniel, Croft and Bristow – you check out this temple and find out as much as you can about this Rambuldus person. T, stay with them."

"Sure, Jack." Daniel replied, while Teal'c acknowledged Jack's order with a nod.

Jack turned to leave, before turning back around again with a snap of his fingers. "Oh, yeah." He said. "Any idea where the control centre might be?"

"Um." Daniel looked around, before noticing a building close to the temple that was dotted with balconies and many interconnecting walkways. "There." He answered, pointing.

"Right." Jack said. "Let's go, Carter."

As the two left, Daniel turned to Lara. "Shall we?" he asked motioning to the stairs.

"We shall." Lara answered with a grin, before walking up the stairs beside Daniel.

Sydney rolled her eyes a little and followed, as Teal'c watched his three companions in amusement. Then he, too, followed the others up the stairs and into the temple. The inside of the temple was very dark, even despite the bright sunlight outside and it took a moment for everyone's eyes to adjust. When they did, they stopped in surprise.

The large room that opened up from the doorway was completely empty, except for a platform on which the stargate might once have stood. However this was not the most surprising thing about the room – what was, was the group of figures standing in the centre, automatic weapons pointed at them.

Two figures detached themselves from the line, even as everyone went for their weapons. Sydney, Lara and Daniel all drew their guns as Teal'c lowered his staff weapons and charged it. "Now, now, Sydney." A familiar English-accented voice chided. "Is that any way to greet old friends?"

"Sark." Sydney spat in disgust as she noticed the familiar blonde man. "What an unpleasant surprise."

"Now let's not get nasty, Sydney." Sark replied.

Standing next to him was a smirking Anna Espinosa and behind them were at least five armed goons. "Put the weapons down." Anna said, her Russian accent clearly audible. "And put you're hands where I can see them."

"This is not good." Daniel whispered to Lara.

"Indeed." Teal'c agreed, as he lowered his weapon to the floor and raised his hands so they were visible. "But I suggest you do as they say."

"That was my thought too." Daniel agreed with his big friend.

"You have some interesting friends, Sydney." Sark said as he walked closer to kick away the weapons.

"Careful." Lara snapped, when Sark kicked her guns away. "I don't want those damaged when I get them back!"

Sark looked amused at Lara's comment. "Oh?" he asked.

"They're my favourites." She told him. "And if they're scratched, I'll hold you personally responsible."

Sark laughed as he bent to pick them up. Sadly, he was too far away for Lara to kick, which annoyed her even further. Narrowing her eyes, she watched as he hefted one of her automatics in his left hand. "Nice balance." He said. "Customised, too. I might just have to hang on to these."

"Please do." Lara said sweetly. "That way I'll know where I have to go to find them."

"Enough!" Anna roared from behind Sark. "Time to move!"

The armed goons escorted the group back out into the sunshine and down the broad stone stairs. Then they marched them off in the direction of the building Daniel had indicated was the building housing the control centre. "This is not good." Daniel muttered.

"You're telling me." Sydney muttered back.

Sydney, Daniel, Teal'c and Lara were escorted into the tower, and then up a few floors to what looked like some sort of meeting room. After throwing them into it, Anna shut what looked like a series of glass panels, locking them inside. Then she blew Sydney and waved goodbye.

"Damn it!" Sydney snarled, and immediately walked to the door to see if she could find some way to open it.

"It could be worse." Daniel offered helpfully.

"Oh?" Sydney snapped, annoyed and frustrated at the situation she found herself in. "How?"

"Jack and Sam could have been caught too." Daniel replied mildly.

"What makes you think they haven't?" Sydney asked.

Daniel motioned the room. "Because they're not here." He said simply.

"That could have put them in another room." Lara pointed out.

"I don't think so." Daniel said.

"Indeed." Teal'c agreed. "Otherwise we would have been separated also."

Lara nodded. "That makes sense." She said. "Now who is this 'Sark'?"

Sydney looked at her in surprise. "You don't know who Sark is?" she asked.

Lara shook her head. "In the excitement of finding the artefacts and then having them stolen, no one explained to me who we were up against." She explained. "I know about Anna Espinosa because I had someone find information on her. And on Sloane."

Sydney turned around and began to pace, having found nothing at the door to help her open it. "Well, Sark is a skilled assassin and mercenary. He works for the highest bidder and doesn't seem to have a problem double-crossing his employers if it's in his best interests."

"Ah." Lara said, moving to the table in the centre of the room and sitting down, swinging her booted feet up onto the table. "So he's rather like Anna, then?"

"Yeah." Sydney said, pushing her loose hair out of her eyes. "But smarter. He always has an escape plan."

Daniel sat down beside Lara. "So are they just going to hold us here until they've done what they came to do, or should we expect something else?"

"I don't know." Sydney replied, finally coming to sit down at the table as well. "I would assume Sloane has some sort of use for us, otherwise he would have just have tried to kill us."

"Great." Daniel muttered.

There was a moment of silence, before Lara looked at her companions. "So how are we going to get out of here?" she asked. "I've got a lock pick in my left boot, but I'm not sure that will do us any good."

"The windows are too high off the ground." Daniel noted. "Even if we could find some way of opening them."

Suddenly, the group heard the clanging of loud footsteps and got to their feet as a man in black, followed by several armed goons, walked towards the door and opened it. At the sight of him, Lara turned as white as a ghost. Or more appropriately as white as a woman looking at a ghost.

"Hello, Lara." Terry Sheridan drawled in his Scottish accent.

"Terry." Lara breathed. "You're dead!"

"Oh, no. Far from it." Terry said, walking forward and pointing an automatic at Lara's head. "You're coming with me now, as is Agent Bristow."

As he shoved Lara forward with the barrel of his gun, Terry gave Lara a menacing grin. "Funny thing about the cradle of life." He said, low enough so that only Lara could hear. "It wouldn't let me die."

Terry gave Lara a large push and she stumbled forward, even as she whipped her head around to snarl at Terry. "I'll remember that." She said. "And next time I'll do a better job."

Terry laughed as the door shut behind them, leaving a slightly bewildered Daniel and Teal'c behind. Sydney was being forced along by the armed goons and she looked about as happy as Lara felt. "What makes you think you'll get another chance to kill me, Croft?" Terry asked.

"What makes you think I won't?" Lara shot back sweetly, earning a cuff to the side of the head from Terry.

"Don't you get it?" he snarled. "You're dead, Croft! My boss needs Agent Bristow alive, but you and the others you came with are going to disappear."

"That's what you think." Lara growled under her breath, keeping her narrow gaze ahead of her as she walked.

The rest of the short walk passed in silence, and after a quick elevator ride, the group entered a control centre at the top of the tower. In it stood Arvin Sloane, looking over a panel of buttons and screens, with Anna and Sark at either side. Someone Sydney did not recognise stood in the corner, seeming a little out of place. More armed goons were stationed along the walls and they were all armed.

But what stood out mostly in the room, was the small set of stairs leading down to another area, on which a stargate was sitting. It seemed that at some point it had been moved here from the temple, probably because of convenience.

"Sydney." Sloane greeted as he turned around at their entrance. "How nice of you to join us."

Sydney shot him a deadly gaze and refused to answer. Sloane turned to Sheridan. "Thank you, Terry." He said. "You can let her go now."

Sloane shifted his gaze to Sydney. "I trust you won't do anything stupid?"

Sydney glared at the goons on either side of her as they let her go, before turning her attention back to her former boss. "What do you want, Sloane?" she snapped.

As Sloane replied, Terry grabbed Lara by the arm and shoved his gun into her ribs. "Time for our private conversation, Croft." He growled into her ear as he escorted her out of the room.

"Wonderful." Lara replied sarcastically.

Terry walked her out of the control centre and down the corridor to a large, open balcony. The doors were already open and Lara could smell the sent of flowers on the breeze. Terry shoved her forward, and she stumbled a few steps into the centre of the large balcony. Lara spun to face Terry and the automatic pointed at her head.

Barely suppressing her anger and, if she was truthful, her fear, Lara stared at her one-time lover. She was unsure of how he had survived the bullet wound in the cradle of life, despite his explanation and that scared her a little. Lara also knew that Terry had never taken betrayal well, which was ironic considering his betrayal of his country, and what she had done would have him vowing revenge.

"I just want to know one thing." Terry said, breaking the tense silence between them. "Why, Croft? Was Pandora's Box really that important to you?"

Lara looked at him, and caught the haunting look of pain in his eyes. Staring at him now, looking just like she remembered, she found it hard to resist telling him the truth. And despite the gun, she did, hoping it would help to clear some of the guilt she had felt at her decision. "Pandora's Box was capable of killing millions, Terry." She said. "And you would sell it to the highest bidder."

"So one life was acceptable in exchange for millions?"

Somewhat disgusted at the tears forming in her eyes, Lara looked at Terry and let out the pain and guilt she had felt ever since his death. "Yes." She said. "But it was still one of the most painful decisions of my life."

Terry's gaze softened for an instant, reminding Lara of the man she had cared so much for. But then it hardened once again, showing Lara that he had changed and so had she. Choices were what made the man and all that.

"Well, this decision is quite easy." Terry said, tightening his grip on the gun.

In that instant, Lara knew he was about to pull the trigger and she reacted, knowing that if she died it would rather be fighting that just waiting for her fate. She snapped out a sharp roundhouse kick to his gun hand, twisting her body slightly out of the way. She connected and sent the gun spinning as Terry let out a grunt of pain.

"Why you…" Terry began, but Lara pivoted and sent out another kick, effectively cutting off his words.

He caught her foot seconds before it connected with his head. Wrenching is harshly to the side, Terry sent Lara off balance and she fell to the paved stones beneath them. Without hesitation, Lara rolled and got to her feet, watching Terry walk forward, slowly. He reminded Lara of a predator stalking and toying with prey.

Quick as lightening, Terry snapped out a kick of his own, followed by a series of fast jabs. Barely managing to block in time, Lara retreated a few steps. Grinning menacingly, Terry continued the attack.

Terry was a highly trained ex-Marine and could take out a man larger than him in about five seconds. Compared to that, Lara was almost easy. She groaned in pain as Terry's fist connected with her mouth, splitting her lip seconds before it hit her cheek bone just under her eye. Lashing out with a kick, Lara forced Terry backwards to get a little space and halt his ferocious attack.

However, despite Terry's training and skills, Lara had a few tricks of her own and she used them all now in an effort to get the upper hand. Anger beyond that of fighting for her life, which she hadn't known she felt towards Terry, surged through her blood, making her faster and stronger. Lara snapped out a few punches of her own and grinned when she broke Terry's nose with a satisfying crack.

Terry growled out something, but Lara didn't quite catch the words. She wasn't quite sure she wanted to, either. Instead, she snapped out another double kick followed by a few punches for good measure. The more damage she did, the better off she'd be. Unfortunately, Terry managed to catch her in a grip as he dodged and came up behind her.

"What are you going to do now, Croft?" he murmured nastily in her ear as he tightened his grip on her neck.

At this angle he could easily break it and Lara felt a shiver of fear trail down her spine. She reacted more out of instinct that anything else and snapped her foot backwards, catching Terry in the groin. He let her go with a groan.

Lara ran forward, but Terry had recovered quicker that she thought possible, leading her to believe he might have be faking. He swept a foot under her legs, sending her sprawling face forward onto the ground. Taking advantage of her vulnerable position, he gave Lara a swift kick to the ribs.

Crying out in pain, Lara instinctively curled her body forward into a fetal position, as if it would somehow help. Terry gave her another kick, this time to the back. Laughing humourlessly, he looked down on her with disgust. "I thought you were better than that, Croft." Reaching behind him, Terry grasped one of the knives he always carried on him, preparing to slit Lara's throat.

Taking her split second advantage, Lara lunged for the gun she had seen from her position on the ground, skinning her knees and legs as she went. Her hand clasped around the hilt and a second later it was aimed straight at Terry's heart.

"I am." Lara told him, just before she pulled the trigger and shot Terry through the heart. She didn't stop until there were no more bullets left in the clip.

Rolling carefully and slowly to her feet, Lara urged her battered, bruised and bleeding body over to where Terry now lay. She knelt down and searched for a pulse, making sure he was dead, before grabbing the extra ammo he carried in his pocket.

Standing up once again, Lara groaned as her aching body protested at the movement. She felt like she had been hit by a truck and Lara knew that she had been lucky to not have any more serious injuries.

She quickly replaced the empty clip, before staggering a few steps forward. "Right." She said, looking down the corridor in the direction of the control room. "One down, four million to go…"

To be continued…


	13. Enemies Revealed

Author's Note: Sorry I haven't updated in ages, guys, but I started another story (bad author!) and it wouldn't let me write anything else for a while. I'll try and get back on track with this one from now on.

Cheeky.

* * *

**The Hunt for Babylon:**

**By cheekychaos**

Chapter Thirteen:

Sam and Jack looked down on the control room below them. After getting inside the tower Daniel had pointed out, the pair had progressed quietly upwards, heading for the top floor, where Sam had thought the control room would be located. Barely having avoided a group of armed men, the pair had been forced out onto a balcony. Luckily it had led to a higher platform on which the pair was now crouched, looking in on the control room and the men inside it.

The pair had also noticed the new location of the stargate inside the room and speculated about the move. Sam had suggested convenience, to which Jack had to agree. But what had surprised Jack the most was the sight of Senator Kinsey standing in the corner of the room. At least, now they knew how the documents had been leaked.

"Dammit!" Jack swore as he saw two familiar figures being led into the room at gun point, not long after the pair had started watching.

"I don't see the others, sir." Sam whispered. "There's a chance that they weren't all captured."

"I don't know about that." Jack replied, just as quietly. "They were probably waiting inside the temple."

Sam and Jack continued to watch the scene below. Sam had already told Jack that she didn't think that the group of terrorists and mercenaries below had figured out how to use the Ancient's systems, even though Anna Espinosa appeared to have the Ancient gene that triggered the technology into wakefulness.

Below them, Sam and Jack watched as Terry Sheridan and a group of goons led Sydney and a pale-looking Lara into the control room. Arvin Sloane was looking over a panel of buttons and screens in the middle of the room, with Anna and Sark at either side of him. More armed goons were stationed along the walls and they were all armed.

Shifting slightly, Jack strained to hear the words said below him, but they were too far away from the open balcony doors to pick up what everyone was saying. Jack hissed in frustration, before moving closer to the doors.

"What are you doing, sir?" Sam asked in a soft whisper.

"Moving so I can hear." Jack whispered back.

Sam nodded and followed her CO as he moved closer to the doors and picked up what was being said in the control room. They sank into position just in time to see Terry leading a grim faced Lara out of the room and Sydney demand an explanation from Sloane.

"What do you want, Sloane?" Sydney snapped.

Sloane just smirked at her. Sydney glanced around as Lara left. "Where is he taking her?" she demanded.

"Terry expressed a wish to renew his acquaintance with Lady Croft." Sloane replied mildly, causing Jack to swear under his breath.

"She knows Sheridan?" he muttered under his breath.

Almost growling in annoyance, Sydney fixed Sloane with a hard glare. "What do you want, Sloane?" she asked through gritted teeth.

So far during the exchange, both Anna and Sark had turned around. Anna was watching the conversation with a condescending stare, periodically turning around and fiddling with the buttons again. Sark, on the other hand, was making no secret of his amusement at the conversation between his employer and nemesis. He was even smirking amusedly at Sydney, although Jack could have sworn he was more amused at Sydney's defiance than his boss's advantage.

"I would have thought it was obvious Sydney." Sloane said in a condescending tone. "I'm here to show you Rambaldi's greatest work and give you the knowledge that you will never destroy it."

"You know, for someone who's into all that Rambaldi stuff," Sydney broke in, annoying Sloane. "You don't put much faith in his prophecy."

"The prophecy will not matter if you can do nothing but watch." Sloane insisted.

Sydney rolled her eyes at his dramatics. "That's a stupid plan, if ever I heard one. How do you know I won't escape?"

"Because you are a part of his greatest work." Sloane said. "The sacrifice."

Sydney blinked in surprise and for a second, Sark's smirk slipped a notch or two. "The sacrifice?" Sydney echoed, as if wondering who was more crazy: Sloane or Rambaldi.

"You will give life to the Reawakening." Sloane said, something akin to religious fervour in his eyes.

"No thanks." Sydney snapped. "I'd just as soon rather not."

"Now, Sydney." Sloane chided, almost gently but the light of religious fervour was still in his eyes. "You cannot fight your destiny."

"I can." Sydney muttered. "And I will."

Sloane just let out a slightly maniacal laugh. "Oh, Sydney." He said, as if to a child. Then he shifted his gaze to Anna. "Bring her!" he snapped out the order.

Nodding, Anna drew her gun and walked over to Sydney, where she jabbed the automatic painfully into Sydney's ribs. "Now, Sydney." Anna said, almost conversationally. "You're going to be a good girl, aren't you?"

Sloane turned to Senator Kinsey. "It's all yours." He said. "Just remember our deal."

"Don't worry." Senator Kinsey said. "You'll get your reawakening."

"And you'll get your city." Sloane added.

Jack cursed again. This was more serious than he had originally thought. It seemed Senator Kinsey had not only leaked sensitive documents, but made a deal to come into possession of an Ancient city – no doubt to use as a base of operations fro his rogue NID. As he looked on, Sloane walked out of the control room just behind Anna and Sydney, with Sark a few steps behind him.

"Carter, follow Sloane." He ordered softly. "Find out where he's going and try to stop him."

"Yes, sir." She replied quietly, before adding. "Where will you be?"

"Someone has to stop Kinsey." Jack answered. "He's probably the only one down there who knows how to use Ancient technology properly."

"Be careful, sir." Sam said. "There are at least ten men down there."

Jack gave his 2IC a soft smile. "I will." He said. "Now go!"

Quietly and carefully, Sam crept along the balcony and back into the building. Luckily, Sloane had not gone too far and Sam saw them all entering the elevator. Suddenly noticing movement to her right, Sam spun and brought up her weapon, hoping she hadn't just been discovered. Thankfully, it was only Lara.

"Are you all right?" Sam asked, taking in the other woman's battered appearance.

"I'll live." Lara replied.

"Do you know what happened to Daniel and Teal'c?" Sam asked.

"They're still locked up downstairs." Lara answered.

Sam nodded, keeping her eye on the elevator Sloane and Sydney had entered. "Will you be alright to go and let them out?" Sam asked. "I'll keep following Sloane."

Lara nodded. "Of course."

"Good." Sam replied. "Do you have any idea where your radio and weapons are?"

Lara grimaced. "I spotted them in the control room."

"Great." Sam frowned. "See what you can do. Bring Daniel and Teal'c back up here. Jack is going to try and stop Senator Kinsey."

Lara raised an eyebrow at the mention of Senator Kinsey. She had heard about him back at the SGC. "How many men?"

"About ten." Sam answered.

Sam noticed the elevator had stopped at the ground level and she waited a moment before calling it. The two women rode down in silence, with Lara getting out at the appropriate floor. She gave Sam a small wave as the doors closed, before turning and creeping down the corridor.

She stopped just around the corner from the room where Daniel and Teal'c were being held. Thankfully, she only noticed one guard standing watch. Considering her current state, one might be all that she could reliably handle.

Lara peered around the corner and watched the guard for a moment, before the man turned his head away slightly to cough. Taking her opportunity, Lara crept forward. Obviously sensing movement, the guard turned back. "Hey…" he began, but that was all he got out before the butt of Lara's gun hit him in the temple. He crumpled to the floor.

Stepping over the guard's prone body, Lara pressed the button to open the doors. When they opened, she looked cautiously inside, not knowing what to expect. "Lara!" Daniel cried when he saw her. "What happened? Are you alright?"

"I'll live." Lara answered. "Terry Sheridan and I had a…fight. He was a friend, once."

Daniel walked towards her, before gently cupping her chin and tilting her face so he could see her injuries better. "And now?" Teal'c asked from where he stood behind Daniel.

"He's dead." Lara answered flatly.

"Good." Daniel replied, somewhat vehemently.

Lara raised an eyebrow. Daniel didn't usually condone death like that. "I know." He said sheepishly, with a small wry smile. "Not very humanitarian, huh?"

"Maybe not." Lara replied. "But nice to hear."

This time Daniel gave her a genuine smile, his eyes warm. Lara returned the smile. "So, what is the plan, Lara Croft?" Teal'c asked, interrupting them.

"Sloane took Sydney somewhere." Lara relayed the information. "Major Carter is following them. She said she'd radio the Colonel when she finds out where they're going. She wants us to help him. He's upstairs in the control room trying to stop Senator Kinsey."

"Senator Kinsey is here?" Daniel asked.

"It seems he was the one to leak the documents and involve the NID." Lara replied.

Daniel muttered something under his breath. "Let's go." He said.

The trio stopped only briefly to grab weapons from the unconscious guard, before heading back upstairs to the control room. From outside the room, the three could hear bursts of gunfire and they hastened into action. All three took relatively covered positions on either side of the doors and Lara slammed the button to open them.

But it was almost as if they needn't have bothered. Inside the room, Jack had already taken care of seven of the armed goons and was engaged in a gunfight with the remaining three while Senator Kinsey cowered behind a console. Lara, Daniel and Teal'c quickly helped Jack dispose of the lingering three goons. Jack then drew his zat gun and shot Senator Kinsey, before walking over and trussing the man up like a turkey.

"That should hold him for a bit." Jack muttered. Then he turned to his friends. "Hey guys."

"Hey Jack." Daniel replied.

Spotting their gear, Lara walked over to it as Teal'c spoke. "It seems that perhaps you did not need out help, O'Neill." He commented.

"Maybe not. But I'm always grateful for it, T." Jack replied, slapping his friend on the shoulder.

Teal'c inclined his head as Lara returned and handed out everyone's gear. It was then that Jack's radio crackled.

"Sir." Came Sam's voice. "Sloane's taken Sydney to some sort of workshop. Its in the next building over, third floor."

"Copy that, Carter." Jack replied. Then he sighed. "There's no rest for the wicked. Let's go, kids."

To be continued…


	14. Finding Rambaldi

**The Hunt for Babylon:**

**By cheekychaos**

Chapter Fourteen:

Sam was crouched just above the workshop, carefully hidden when Jack, Teal'c, Daniel and Lara joined her. The workshop looked a little like her lab, with piles of technology and blueprints everywhere, as well as tools, books and spare parts. However, in the middle of the room was a device. Sloane had called it the 'Reawakening', but to Sam it looked more like the device Frankenstein had strapped his poor monster too.

Jack watched the scene below him with a frown. This was not going very well. Suppressing the urge to sigh loudly (as it would no doubt give his position away), Jack grimaced and turned to his 2IC. He could always count on Carter.

"Any idea what that thing is?" he whispered.

"Not really, sir." She replied.

Knowing her like he did, Jack raised an eyebrow. "But you have an idea?"

"Well, Sloane did call it the 'Reawakening'." Sam answered softly. "The device looks similar to technology I've come across before. I think he's going to try and switch Sydney's mind with something."

Jack swore. "You mean like with Ma'chello?"

Sam nodded. "Yes, sir." She said gravely.

"Well, we have to stop it!" Jack said.

"Indeed, O'Neill." Teal'c agreed quietly, obviously having heard the soft conversation.

Jack looked up to see Daniel and Lara also looking at him inquiringly, although they seemed to be out of earshot. Frowning as his mind raced, Jack tried to think of a plan.

"There's no point in struggling, Sydney." Sloane's voice echoed up from below. "Besides, in a few minutes the four of us are going to be the only people alive on this planet, so no one can help you."

Sydney was glaring at Sloane with murderous intent, but stopped struggling with her bonds at Sloane's chilling words. "What do you mean, Sloane?" she asked.

"I mean there will be a devastating explosion in the control room very soon, that will sadly destroy that entire building." Sloane said, his mild tone freezing Sydney's blood even more than his words.

Jack swore again as he listened from above. "Carter…" he began.

"I'm on it, sir." Sam said, anticipating her CO's order.

Jack's eyes drifted to where Lara was crouched. She was wincing slightly, one arm curled around her lower ribs, and her weight was mostly centred on one leg. She had obviously been messed up by Sheridan more than she had let on. "Take Croft with you." He added. "Despite what she may think, she's not really in any condition to fight three highly trained mercenaries."

Sam nodded. "Yes, sir."

Jack watched his 2IC long enough to see her tap Lara on the shoulder and explain the situation to her, before disappearing back towards the other building. Then he turned back to Daniel and Teal'c.

"Right." He said quietly. "Teal'c, I want you to stay here and cover us. Danny, I want you to free Bristow as soon as you can."

His two companions nodded. "Good." Jack said. "One three: one…two…three!"

On three, Jack and Daniel burst from cover and jumped down to the ground level. Jack immediately covered Sloane, Anna and Sark, alert for any signs of movement. "Keep your hands where I can see them!" he ordered. "Daniel!"

Daniel immediately ran over to where Sydney was tied up and began to unlock the metal cuffs constraining her legs and arms. Sloane carefully measured the man holding a gun on him as his friend unlocked Sydney, seemingly unperturbed that his plans were going astray.

"Hmm, American military." He said. "You must be from the SGC."

Jack's face was in his usual mask, letting nothing show and he did not reply to Sloane's comment. Teal'c chose that moment to break cover as well, knowing he would be more useful to Jack on ground level.

"You won't succeed, you know." Sloane said conversationally. "Rambaldi's Reawakening cannot be stopped by you or anyone."

"What about me?" Sydney snapped, getting to her feet and rubbing her wrists.

Sloane laughed. "Oh, Sydney." He said. "You have no idea, do you?"

It was in that second that everyone seemed to suddenly explode into action. In a swift movement, Anna and Sloane drew their guns almost simultaneously and fired. Anna aimed straight at Daniel and fired. Daniel, however, having been shot at before, managed to dodge and the bullet that had been aimed at his heart only winged him a little on the upper arm. Sydney had dived out of the way at the same moment, so the second bullet aimed in her direction missed completely.

Jack on the other hand, had caught the movement from Sloane and managed to dodge the bullet aimed at him. He fired in response, catching Sloane in the shoulder and effectively disarming him. Sloane dropped the gun as he let out a cry of pain, and Teal'c and Jack had him tied up in no time at all.

At the same time all this had been happening, Sark had also moved. He had drawn his gun a second after Sloane and Anna. Instead of shooting Teal'c, as had obviously been the plan, Sark did a shocking thing. He turned and had his gun pressed against Anna's head a moment after she had fired her second shot.

"Drop the gun, Anna." He said with a silky tone. "Or I will shoot you."

Sydney dragged herself of the ground, where she had thrown herself, and after a quick look to make sure Daniel was alright, she turned to Sark. "Sark!" she snapped. "What the hell is going on?"

"That's what I'd like to know!" Jack snapped, leaving Teal'c to guard Sloane and walking over to help Daniel up. On the way, he passed Sydney his pistol and she immediately trained it on Anna.

"I'm on your side, Sydney." Sark said levelly.

Anna swore heartily in Russian, obviously telling Sark something. Sark simple smacked her on the head with his gun. "Be nice, Anna." He said.

"On my side?" Sydney barked, unsure of who presented a more serious target: Anna or Sark.

Sark turned his ice blue eyes towards her. "Yes, Sydney." He said. "I've been trying to stop Rambaldi's final plan for as long as you have. Maybe even longer."

"Actually…" said a strange voice from behind them all. "It wasn't my final plan at all."

Everyone turned to see a tall man in flowing robes standing in the back of the workshop. His brown hair was long and fell to his shoulders and there seemed to be a faint glow about him. He smiled. "Allow me to introduce myself." He said pleasantly. "My name is Milus Rambaldus, except you probably know me as Milo Rambaldi."

Jack blinked, but finished tying Anna up. Then he pressed the button on his radio. "Carter?" he asked. "Have you finished yet?"

"Yes, sir." Sam replied. "Bomb deactivated."

"Good." Jack told her. "I think you'd better come back here."

"Yes, sir." She said, but obviously heard something in his tone. "May I ask why?"

"We've just found Rambaldi." Jack replied dryly.

* * *

Sam and Lara entered the control room, cautiously, in case Kinsey had managed to free himself from his bonds, or there were some thugs they hadn't spotted earlier. They needn't have bothered, as the room was clear, aside from a clearly furious Senator Kinsey.

"Watch him." Sam told Lara, before scanning the room quickly.

Lara raised an eyebrow at the order, but simply said. "Of course."

Sam spotted the crudely made bomb a second after she started looking for it. She jogged over to it and carefully knelt down beside the device. It was tacked under one of the control panels in the room and Sam studied it quickly, muttering to herself. "I'm an astrophysicist." She growled to herself. "Not a blasted bomb disposal expert."

Then she winced at her unintentional wording. Sighing, Sam got down to the business of disarming the bomb. She wondered absently, as the scientific part of her mind worked, if it would have been easier if the Colonel had come to disarm it. But then, he wouldn't leave the rest of his team like that, and he probably trusted her enough to disarm it anyway.

Sam slipped her combat knife out of its sheath as she began examining the different wires attached to the C4 tacked under the bench. Her eyes then spotted the discrete counter and noticed that she had less than three minutes to disarm this stupid thing. _Great_, she thought.

Letting out a slow breath and focusing her attention on the basic circuits, Sam did what she came here to do. Thankfully, after a few close calls in the past, her CO had given the rest of the team a quick lesson in bomb making. That, combined with her knowledge of reactors and such, made it easier for Sam.

Biting her lip, Lara looked over at her companion. She had never liked bombs and always preferred running away from them. But something told her this wouldn't be the best thing to do in this case. Sam had mentioned the destructive power of destroying a stargate back at the SGC and Lara didn't really want to risk the damage this bomb might do to the stargate sitting only a meter or two away.

After what seemed like hours, Sam rolled her shoulders and finally straightened from her crouch. "Got it." She said, before walking over to the nearest balcony and tossing out the bomb.

At Lara's slightly surprised look, she shrugged sheepishly. "Just in case." She said.

Lara smiled in relief and nodded. "I completely agree." She said.

Suddenly Sam's radio crackled, startling both women who were still alert and tense from disarming the bomb. "Carter?" Jack's voice crackled. "Have you finished yet?"

"Yes, sir." Sam replied. "Bomb deactivated."

"Good." Jack voice crackled again. "I think you'd better come back here."

"Yes, sir." Sam answered again, but she detected a faint trace of amusement and surprise in the Colonel's tone. "May I ask why?" she asked.

"We've just found Rambaldi." Jack replied dryly.

Blinking in surprise, Sam looked at Lara. "We're on our way." She replied.

* * *

Sam and Lara, dragging Senator Kinsey, met up with the others out in the sunshine of the large square between the two buildings. Lara immediately spotted the large white bandage on Daniel's upper left arm and walked over to ask if he was alright. Sam, on the other hand, spotted the fact that while Sloane and Anna were tied up, Sark wasn't. The group left their prisoners a little way out of earshot, before talking.

"Sir, what's going on?" Sam asked.

"Haven't got a clue." Jack replied. "But it turns out that Sark could possibly be a friend now."

Sark obviously caught Jack's answer, as he raised an eyebrow in their direction while trying not to smile in amusement at the older man's dry tone. "And this here is Rambaldi." Jack added, pointing at the brown-haired man in flowing robes beside him.

"I am pleased to finally meet you, Major Carter." He said, inclining his head. "And you as well, Lady Croft."

"You know who we are?" Sam asked, surprised.

"Yes." Milus replied. "I've been watching you ever since you arrived on the planet. But I knew you would come anyway, just as I knew that Mr. Sark would finally reveal his true intentions."

"What do you mean?" Sydney asked, faintly annoyed.

"Allow me to explain." Milus said. "I am what you call an 'Ancient'. I am also the protector of the city of Babylon as punishment for interfering in the development of humanity. I once spent decades on Earth, trying to give you technological knowledge, because I firmly believed that it was the right thing to do."

Milus looked at everyone. "But my knowledge fell into the hands of some overeager monks, who turned it into something it wasn't. They created the myth that you now believe to be the real Milo Rambaldi, but that wasn't what I intended it to do. There was not supposed to be a 'Reawakening' or anything of that type." He continued.

"However, the gift of foresight is given to those, like me, who have ascended, but perhaps don't quite live on that plane anymore." Milus added. "And I foresaw your coming to Babylon and knew everything would be made right."

"You knew we were coming?" Daniel asked.

"Yes." Milus nodded. "There is actually a prophecy about it somewhere on Earth I believe. Let me see if I can remember how it goes…"

After a moment, Milus smiled. "Ah, yes." He said. "_Seven great heroes will discover the Hidden City, and bring hope to the Universe. One will be a warrior who has given up everything he was to do what was right._"

As he described the first of the seven, Milus turned to look at Teal'c and inclined his head towards him, as if honouring his sacrifice. "_One will be the leader who is more willing to sacrifice himself a hundred times over than risk those who follow him_."

This time Milus inclined his head towards Jack, before continuing. "_One will be the visionary who possesses much knowledge, but who is forced to always watch and never touch_."

Milus nodded to Sam, who blushed faintly as she picked up the meaning behind his words – and refused to look at Jack. "_One will be the scholar who gave up his books to use his great knowledge to help fight a war_."

Daniel blushed slightly at Milus' words, but nodded back to the Ancient. "_One will be the adventurer who strives to protect the past so she may help guard the future_."

Lara smiled when Milus nodded in her direction, before nodding in return. "_One will be the shadow who watches over the one he loves because that is all he deems himself worthy to do_."

Sydney sharp gaze darted to Sark when Milus nodded toward him, definitely not wanting to think about what that meant. Didn't she? "_And the greatest one will be the one who is destined to choose and her decision will change the world_."

Milus nodded to Sydney and smiled when she gave him an annoyed look. "Choose what?" she asked.

"No matter how many people have tried to decide it for you, Sydney, you are the one that chose the path you know walk on. And it is that choice that changed the world." Milus answered.

"What?" Sydney snapped.

"Had you chosen to believe in the myth of Rambaldi and follow a man like Sloane, the world would have gone a different way. And would not have better off because of it."

"Oh." Sydney replied, a little startled. "So I've already chosen?"

"Yes, in a way." Milus answered. "It is perhaps an ongoing choice that you will have to face again and again as you decide what is the right thing to do and what is wrong."

Milus then turned to face everyone. "I'm afraid that is all I'm allowed to tell you."

"What..?" Jack began, clearly annoyed at encountering more Ancient vagueness.

Milus held up his hand to silence him. "I am still an ascended being after all. But perhaps the large library in Babylon will be of some help. The city is rightfully yours, and I hope that it will help you in your struggle."

"Library?" Daniel and Lara looked excited by the prospect.

"That's it?" Jack asked. "What happens now?"

"My punishment comes to an end." Milus replied. "And I am finally allowed to go home."

Milus began to glow with a bright white light, until he almost drowned out the sun. "_Have faith_." His words echoed over everyone, seconds before he disappeared. "_And you will succeed_."

When everyone could finally see again, Jack frowned at Sam. "At least he wasn't as vague as some of the other Ancients." Sam said helpfully.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Wonderful." He replied.

"Did you hear what he said about the library?" Daniel asked, so excited he was almost jumping up and down on the spot.

"Indeed." Teal'c told his friend, amused even if he wasn't showing it.

"That would definitely prove useful, sir." Sam agreed.

Jack nodded and sighed. "All right, kids." He said. "Let's take these crooks home and explain everything to General Hammond."

To Be Continued…


	15. Going Home

**The Hunt for Babylon:**

**By cheekychaos**

Chapter Fifteen:

General Hammond was indeed pleased to hear about the discovery of Babylon and the knowledge it contained. The prisoners, however, raised complications. Senator Kinsey was to be investigated to try and find out what else he had done and would be removed from office. Agents from the CIA also arrived to take Sloane and Anna into custody, but Sark was proving to be a complex issue.

At the moment, General Hammond was sitting in a meeting with Major Carter, Colonel O'Neill, Agents Vaughn and Bristow and the new arrivals from the CIA, Agent Jack Bristow and Assistant Director Marcus Dixon. Sark was also present, although everyone seemed to be keeping an extra eye on him and he had been thoroughly disarmed. Lara and Daniel were still in the infirmary being checked out by Doc Fraiser and Teal'c had gone to kel'no'reem.

"Sark is the enemy!" Vaughn snapped. "We can't let him walk free! He's a monster!"

"He's no more a monster than you are!" Sydney snapped back.

Sark looked amused at the exchange between the two agents and was smirking softly. "If you want to know the truth, I suggest you contact MI-6." He said mildly.

Sydney turned to gaze sharply at him. "You work for MI-6?"

Sark nodded. "Yes, as clichéd as it might sound, I'm a deep undercover agent."

"Great!" Vaughn muttered, rolling his eyes.

Everyone ignored him. "We already know that." Jack Bristow said, speaking for both himself and Dixon. "We were contacted as soon as British Intelligence heard about the leaked documents."

Hammond nodded, this already having been discussed with him. "Where do we stand with the documents?"

Dixon answered his question. "They've been discredited as hoaxes. You shouldn't have any further problems from them."

"Good." Hammond answered.

"As for Sark, both British Intelligence and the CIA have decided it would be best for him to continue as he is now." Jack Bristow said, causing Vaughn to narrow his gaze furiously. "No one else knows the truth of who he works for, but now that we know we can help pass on information."

"So we go back to normal, then?" Sydney asked with a wry smile.

Her father smiled softly at her. "Yes, that's the idea."

"Right." Jack O'Neill said from where he was slumped in the chair beside General Hammond. "Now that that's been decided, I'm hungry."

Sam smiled. "You're always hungry, sir." She commented.

Sydney grinned at her two new friends, as Hammond suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. He had been quite impressed that the Colonel had been as quiet as he had for so long. "I'm rather hungry myself." Sydney said.

"Permission to go to the commissary, sir?" Jack asked Hammond.

Hammond nodded. "I think we're about done here." He said.

"Great!" Jack said, leaping up.

Sam and Sydney followed him, as did Vaughn and Sark, just at a slower pace. Jack Bristow, Dixon and Hammond remained to discuss the more mundane details that remained.

* * *

Half an hour later, Sam, Sydney and Jack were sitting with Daniel and Teal'c in the commissary digging into quite an impressive amount of food. They were all rather hungry and there hadn't been much conversation for a while. But there was only so long Jack could remain quiet, and it hadn't taken long for the teasing and joking to begin.

Casting a measuring glance over Sam, Sydney noticed the blonde was being quieter than usual. "You okay?" she asked softly, in between mouthfuls of pancake as the three men continued to laugh and joke on the other side of the table.

Sam blinked, as if breaking her train of thought. "Yeah, fine." She smiled.

Sydney glanced across the table, finally realising what the Major had been staring at. "Are you ever going to do anything?" she asked.

Sam turned, startled. She blinked for a few seconds and then blushed slightly as Sydney added. "About Jack?"

"I can't." she replied quietly. "It's against regulations."

"Have you thought about talking to General Hammond." Sydney asked. "I mean, for someone who's saved the world as many times as you have, there's surely got to be a favour or two floating around."

"But…ah…" Sam stuttered.

Sydney smiled and winked at her. "Just think about it, okay?" she said. "Trust me on this."

"Okay." Sam agreed softly.

It was then that Lara walked up. She had managed to change from her dirty and torn clothes, like everyone else had as well, into jeans and a leather jacket. Her hair was freshly braided and she smiled somewhat wickedly at Daniel.

"Ready to go?" she asked, arching an eyebrow inquiringly.

Daniel, who had not been eating much as his friends dug into the food around them, smiled back at her. "Sure." He said. "Just give me a moment to change."

"And where are you going?" Jack asked, a teasing grin on his face.

"On a date." Daniel replied, a smug smile on his as he looked at his friend.

Jack's grin widened. "Well, have fun." He said, and opened his mouth to add a shameless comment, but Sam elbowed him gently.

"Carter?" he asked.

"Sir?" she replied innocently.

"So how long are you staying?" Sydney asked, smiling at Jack and Sam.

"I'm not sure." Lara replied. "How ever long I can, I guess. But then again, you may not get rid of me that easily. General Hammond offered me a job here."

Sydney laughed. "Will you take it?"

"I'm not sure." Lara said, before turning and winking at Daniel. "Shall we go?"

Grinning, Daniel nodded and the two walked off after saying their goodbyes to the others. Sydney turned back to the conversation with a smile. It was only a matter of time before everyone would go their separate ways again, each going about saving the world in their own ways. They all knew that there had been deep friendships forged by this adventure, and for now, that was enough.

Besides, who's to say there wasn't another adventure together in their futures?

The End


End file.
